In this exclusive interview, the factional chairman of the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples democratic Party, PDP, Prince Sunday Adeniran Fagbemi discuss with NATIONAL PILOT'S HEAD, POLITICS DESK, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM and KAYODE ADEOTI on recent development and its implications for the party. Excerpts:

Presently, there seems to be two PDP chairmen in Kwara State laying claim to being the authentic as a result of the recent party congresses. How do we know the real one?

What really happened is that Iyiola Oyedepo was the state chairman, the national headquarter of the party said there should be congresses from the ward to the national level from April to May 10 during which that of the state should end. The zonal is supposed to take place May 14 while the national is scheduled for May 21. What they wanted to do here in Kwara is what they called affirmation, which is strange to PDP constitution. There is no place in the constitution of the party that you will see the word affirmation. If they say their tenure would end after four years, they’ve forgotten that they are completing a term from 2012 to 2016. You will remember that people occupied the position when Senator Bukola Saraki left for APC then. But they said they want to continue in office and even if it is so that they will stay for four years, we agreed but there must be a mid-term congress, whereby any motion could be passed to allow people decide whether they have confidence in them to continue or not. Why are we chanting freedom when we want to emasculate the people and deny them their preferences? What Oyedepo’s team did was that they brought a form each for every position right from the ward level to the chairmanship from the national body to fill the fourteen positions and three delegates. We didn’t cry out much but we complained that people shouldn’t be denied their rights, especially for three delegates from each wards. Since they’ve disenfranchised the intending members, we complained to the National Chairman, who ordered that the forms should be sold to us, the pioneer chairman of PDP in person of Barrister Kunle Sulyman and a few others went to Abuja to purchase the forms to enable us contest in the local government election. They didn’t participate in the local government congresses but we did our congresses with help of state security agencies, and people emerged winners and we selected our national delegates. As regards the state congress on 10th of May, what was done there was a monumental manipulation. In the first instance, the contestants were not allowed into the venue while the state executive officers were allowed. And you know in this type of congresses, there is supposed to be last minutes lobbying but people were denied this opportunity. Not only that, they as usual, gave only their officials the forms. But the forms we purchased were distributed to whoever wanted to run for an office. We noticed that the chairman and secretary of congress committee that supervised the election compromised. They were swapping the lists that emanated from the local government congresses with the ones that were compiled by the state chairman, the panel chairman now abdicated the responsibility of conducting the election to the state chairman, who was now directing him on what to do and not to do. Along the line, two vehicles were driven into the venue, loaded with guns and ammunition allegedly belonging to Oyedepo which were arrested by the police and now at the state CID headquarters. We have written to the state Commissioner of Police, the Director of SS, and we copied Inspector-General of Police that these vehicles must not be released through the back door because we are talking of the security status in the country. Do they want to kill members of the party they want to lead? They subjected the people to grueling circumstance and tear-gassed them during the process. They already assembled some people who are not delegates from other local governments to come in, they now used the list they manipulated to perfect this with the connivance of some members of the electoral panel sent from the headquarters. I was the only contestant that was allowed in, all others were outside the fence. Severally I complained to the electoral chairman. I knew any reaction I make there would  appear negative, so many things could have happened, I don’t want to be chairman over dead people. What was important to us was to make sure that the damages they’ve done to the party are reversed. My team and I are on rescue mission to save the party.

Why did the national leadership permitted sale of forms to different leaders of the party for the state congress?

The state chairman is a member of the national executive committee, and they were asked to take as many forms as they required to sell to interested persons but they calculated the number of offices already in existence and took only that number, denying others who want to participate. We made a complaint to the National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff before forms were sold to us and we paid through the bank and attached the receipt and teller and sent to the national headquarters. We wrote letters to the National Congress committee chairman posted to Kwara that we’ve obtained forms from the headquarter to show that this is the evidence of the purchase and that we are legitimately participating in the congress and of course the National headquarter will not want to deny anybody opportunity to serve.

What is the position of the national body in all of this?

There are two reports that have gone there. They were supposed to be eleven members from the National level to Kwara but only seven reported and out of these seven, two people signed what happened with Oyedepo while five of them disagreed because what was done on that day was like nailing the coffin of PDP in Kwara. The five wrote their own observation, signed it and took their own report to Abuja with the name of people that emerged in our own congress because it was transparently done.

Have you heard from the national body yet?

They are collating results from 36 states, which is not easy and some states may not have even submitted theirs. They would want to deal with the whole thing at the same time.

Who is now the authentic party chairman in the state?

Well, that is left for the national leadership to decide

Why didn’t the other five national officials against the congress raise any eyebrow?

For anybody that did something that is wrong and knows full well that it is wrong, then there must be a motivating factor, and if you look at what is happening at the National level of the party you will see that it is a matter of conjecture, it only takes the discerning mind to know what exactly has happened here.

Does the latest development worry you?

Yes, because opposition has never had it so bad except under the Akogun-led excos. Look at the kind of gubernatorial primaries we did, it shouldn’t have been that rancorous if not for personal aggrandisement, greed and nonchalant attitude, not caring whether the party wins or not provided something can come into their pockets. The members of excos were even the ones encouraging contestants to get up, assuring them that the excos will support them instead of being neutral, they became players in the game and at the end of the day, more than twelve people contested for one seat. From history, there has been no time the opposition will not win some seats in Kwara state but now not even a councillor to the name of PDP, yet you insist you must preside over empty shells and people immediately started leaving the party. That is why the elders and leaders got up to say that enough is enough and why I was pressured into contesting for this position. The last time I withdrew for Akogun because I believed he would be able to do it even better than me, but some people now saw that I was liable for what is happening so I decided to come on a rescue mission this time, the person we’ve given the opportunity had misused it, and by the grace of God, I know the excos are gone.

Why did it take you so long before this action?

You see, the party has a constitution, it is not a lawless party, when it’s not time for congress and there is no impeachment, we have to abide by the rules and that is exactly what happened. The party’s congress presented the opportunity for contest.

Is there any political solution to this crisis?

The fact is that, this is not about me, if you go round as a journalist and sample opinions of the people, the resentment is so great and it might be difficult for leopard to change its skin, so I’m afraid, I don’t know what can really happen.

But some are saying that that resentment is majorly from Kwara central?

Even if it is Kwara Central, which is not true, because in Isin where he comes, they did parallel congress also. And even if it is central, the region has more than 40 per cent of the population, should that not be fearful enough for a leader that want success for his party? If you want to win election, there is no how you can exile a senatorial district. The whole emirate that consists of five local governments did not participate in the congress, is that a good omen for the party? That is the issue, in my Ekiti, we did a parallel congress and they didn’t participate in it, they sat somewhere and wrote names out, the same thing happened in Offa.

What is the stand of people like Yinka Aluko, Professor Oba and some elders of the party? Some are saying they are in support of the process that brought Akogun in.

I heard he has been saying that he had support of Professor Oba and others, but that is neither here or there, it is you that can find out from people like Professor Oba whether they are with him or not. I don’t know those with him but I know those with me.

How do you react to the crisis in the party from the state to national level?

It is normal occurrence in any democracy all over the world. The moment there are aspirations, there will be division but the ability to be able to consummate, reconcile and unify all of them is what makes the difference.

Do you intend to speak with him?

Why not? He is a personal friend and served under me when I was the chairman of CAN. He said he wanted me to do it together with him but I can’t condone illegality which was what they did. There was nothing like yes vote they alluded to.

Did you stepped down at the congress as they have alleged?

How can I step down? I asked the panel chairman to allow me address the people and he said no I should tell him what I wanted to say. I said so you are going to deny me talking as you have denied us the legitimate list? He said no, and I am a gentle man, I can’t be struggling with him with the microphone. What I said exactly was, I have no confidence in your panel, that I am going to boycott the process, that I can’t subject myself to any process that you are going to carry on with because you are already bias, so is that stepping down? And even if I have stepped down, would the people who were not allowed in stepped down?