Date: 2018-03-24

The claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State that it has welcomed into its fold 800 defectors from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has stirred hornet nest in the chess game of the state polity. AHMED 'LATEEF writes on what has turned out to be a renewal of war of words between the former and the latter preparatory to 2019 polls.

With the declaration and release of timetable for 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has indirectly set a stage for major battle for political parties to test their might and popularity among the voting populace.

The by-product of the election therefore is in two ways- victory or defeat. If the release of the timetable for the election is anything to go by, then parties involved would begin to square up in arms to either sink or stay afloat.

And the announcement by the electoral umpire for the forthcoming polls, which seems unprecedented in the annals of the nation's polity, has apparently goaded major parties to seek better ways to endear themselves into warmth embrace of the prospective voters ahead of the election. They are leaving no stone unturned in their desperate bid to undo one another as the election period closes in.

Save for emergence of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo's inspired Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM), which sought "Third Force", two major parties known to be calling the shot include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leading the opposition camp. Although there are doubts as to how far the movement can go considering the closeness of the election period.

In the impending election, major parties to look out for still remain the APC and the PDP, for they command virtually the entire 36 States of the federation except Anambra State that has continued to be a stronghold of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Kwara is presumably one of the strongholds of the APC under the influence of the dominance structure in the state. With three Senators, six members of the House of Representatives, 24 members of the State House of Assembly, the Governor and the 16 Local Government Chairmen belonging to the ruling APC, it is considered a no-go-area for the opposition.

The overwhelming influence of the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, who has not ceased lubricating the machinery of Saraki Dynasty politically, cannot be under-estimated. He holds the grip of the political structure that it becomes pretty difficult for the opposition to decimate him.

That has been the general belief in the political circle until the November 18, 2017 local government election was conducted where the opposition led by the PDP clinched five councillorship seats and even alleged that the poll was manipulated in favour of the ruling because it was at the instance of Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission.

To the PDP, the outcome of the council election, despite its allegation of manipulation of the process, had altered and dwindled the total influence of the APC and therefore latched on it to re-strategise, particularly for the national election scheduled to commence from February 2019. In addition, the opposition party has employed different streaks to decimate the ruling party further by criticising policies and programmes of the state government.

This sustained criticism has often resulted in verbal war between the ruling and opposition parties owing to the claim that the opposition was only interested in feeding the populace with un-verifiable facts.

However, the PDP apparently impressed and sensed of good future ahead, announced the defection of hundreds of members of the ruling APC into its fold. The party claimed the defectors were led by one Dr Hanafi Alabere from APC in Alanamu Ward, Ilorin West Local Government Area.

The state PDP Chairman, Chief Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, broke the news in Ilorin.

Speaking when he played host to the North Central zone of PDP, led by its Chairman, Arch Theophilus Dakas, in Ilorin last week, the Chairman of the PDP in the state declared that no member of the party defected to the ruling APC in the state.

He said notwithstanding the fact that APC was in government in Kwara, no member of PDP has decamped to it.

"We are very delighted to tell you that there is no notable leader of our party that decamped or defected to APC in the state. Instead of PDP members to decamp to APC, reverse was the case as many APC members have joined PDP after the Nov 18, 2017 local government elections.

"We are in fact waiting for the good ones among them to join the train of liberation in Kwara State. Today, the factional crisis in PDP is virtually over. We have learnt to work together so that in 2019, PDP will certainly be in government in Kwara State.

"Our party is waxing stronger in the State. APC years of misgovernment is giving us an edge in the hearts of the people of Kwara State. The people in government under PDP from 2003 to 2013 are still same people in government under APC from 2013 till date.

"When it suited them, they were under the umbrella and when they voluntarily refused the shade provided by our umbrella, they decided to hold the broom. Whether under the umbrella or holding the broom, they are the same. Change of name, logo and the slogan is not change of nature and character.

"By 2019, they would have served the people of this State the same diet and soup for solid 16 years. The diet and soup have become stale and bitter. It now looks like poison that must be spit out, otherwise the effect could be cancerous to the people of the state," Oyedepo added.

The chairman said that the people of Kwara were tired of a government that consciously for 16 years worked against the interest of the people of the State.

"If they control the state resources and we still not join them to lick their pot of soup, it means if they come to us they will pollute the Party already in the heart of Kwara electorate.

"It may be difficult for outsiders to believe that we are poised for history in this State in 2019, but our victory in 2019 general election in Kwara State is a foregone conclusion by the grace of God," he said.

Oyedepo declared that the rumour that until the leadership of APC cross over to the PDP, the present leadership of the party could not win was a travesty of the PDP's well acknowledged efforts in the state.

"We have for more than three years engaged the present government of Kwara in a battle of responsible opposition.The efforts we have made in that regard have now given birth to a culture of socio/political consciousness in Kwara. Kwarans now hold the government accountable", he added.

Oyedepo told the Zonal executives that PDP was fighting a cause in Kwara, adding that when people saw them struggle, they were fighting oppression.

"It is difficult for those that are not part of us to appreciate our plights. Those that are not touched by the wicked engine of oppression mobilized against us cannot see what we suffer," he said.

But in a swift reaction, the state chapter of the APC, declared that no member of the party decamped to the opposition PDP as claimed by the party leadership.

A statement issued by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Mr Sulyman Buhari, said the claim that 800 members of APC defected to PDP was outright falsehood and misleading.

The statement noted that the state PDP only hosted the visiting zonal leadership of the party to a stage-managed and choreographed political drama of defection because no defection took place.

It alleged that the state PDP was still grappling with factional crisis and should therefore busy itself with the challenges facing it.

The APC insisted that there was no member within it bearing Dr Hanafi Alabere, who reportedly led a group of defectors to the PDP and frowned at what it called "some irresponsible and false assertions credited to the state PDP chairman".

"What happened was that the North Central Zonal leadership of the PDP visited Kwara State and a factional chairman of the PDP in Kwara State, Mr Iyiola Oyedepo decided to entertain his guests with stage-managed and choreographed political drama of defection. Indeed, there was no defection.

"Dr Hanafi Alabere who was said to have led the defection is not one of us. The man is also not part of us. The drama of defection anchored by Iyiola Oyedepo would have made huge sense if it portrayed the movement of PDP members from one faction to the other within the PDP.

"The APC wishes to declare that Kwara PDP lacks pull factor. Therefore, there couldn't have been defection of APC members to the PDP.

"The general public should be reminded that the chairmanship seat of Mr Iyiola Oyedepo is still subject of factional battles. As admitted by Mr Iyiola Oyedepo himself, the PDP is still facing critical moments of crises. The party lacks direction. The party is also bereft of responsible and competent leadership. Thus, the directionless and crises-ridden PDP has no value to add to the quality of governance and development of Kwara State. "The APC frowns at some irresponsible and false assertions made by Mr Iyiola Oyedepo. The party believes Mr Oyedepo has veered off the lane of politicking and resulted to character assassination and defamatory labelling of our party leaders. Mr Oyedepo and his cohorts should be warned as defamatory labelling of our party leaders will not be tolerated in the run up to the 2019 general election.

"We wish to reassure the good people of Kwara State that the Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed-led administration and all elected representatives of the party led by the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki are effectively and efficiently discharging constitutional duties toward the upliftment of Kwara State and her people", the APC statement said.

Since the news filtered in that members of the ruling APC deflected and joined the PDP, both the former and the latter had engaged each other in a tirade and pundits believed that the renewed verbal war between the two was geared towards the preparation for the 2019 election that is about 329 days away.