Date: 2018-08-29

Barring any last minute change in plans, a former member of the House of Representatives, Engineer Abdulrauf Kola Shittu, is to be named new Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, The Herald can exclusively report.

Also pencilled down for the impending new executive of the state chapter of PDP are a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Alhaji Razak Lawal, as Secretary while Hajia Ramat Oganija would serve as state Women Leader.

Multiple sources told The Herald in confidence last night that the trio of Shittu, Lawal and Oganija were picked for the state party leadership in accordance with the agreement reached that the offices be shared on 60 and 40 percent basis between the defectors and old party members. While the President of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, led his structure, which consists of former members of the All Progressives Congress in the state, some old members of the PDP decided to stay in the party after the exit of the former executive consequent upon the defection of Saraki into the party.

The former PDP Chairman in the state, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, had resigned from office following the defection of the senate president on the ground that he is not disposed to working with Saraki.

The senate president had since been named National Leader of the PDP at a recent meeting held in Abuja. It was learnt that ongoing talks about the new executive of the state chapter of the party would be finalised this week with chairman, secretary and others emerging through consensus arrangement.

Shittu, Oganija belonged to the Saraki led defectors while Razak Lawal was picked from the old PDP members in the state.

Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of the state, few weeks ago, announced their defection from the APC to PDP, citing injustice and lack of inclusiveness among others as reasons for dumping the ruling party.

The Herald gathered last night that there had been series of nocturnal meetings on the harmonisation of the new state executive of the party.

Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr Ali Ahmad, is leading the Harmonisation Committee, which has the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Sola Isiaka Gold; a former Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Saka Onimago, among others as members.

The committee was set up to unify the party and facilitate its hitch free take off as the new ruling party in the state.

Sources told The Herald that Saraki led defectors and old PDP members had reached compromise on the agreed terms of the sharing formula of the new executive across board including the 16 local government areas.

It was learnt that the state PDP is awaiting the directive from the National Secretariat of the party on the congresses and formal inauguration of the new executive.

One of the sources said, "I think leaders of the party (the PDP) have taken a decision on the new state executive. As it is now, we have Hon. Kola Shittu as Chairman, Alhaji Razak Lawal as Secretary and Hajia Ramat Oganija, who would serve as Woman Leader.

"Although we are still waiting for directive from the National Secretariat anytime from tomorrow (Monday) on our congresses. All I can tell you is that everything will be completed this week. For now we are speculating and we want to believe it is going to be a consensus arrangement".

Efforts to get names of other members of the executive proved futile last night as leaders of the party were said to be locked in a series of meetings on who to appoint and drop. It was also gathered last night that a prominent politician, Mr Ebun Afolayan, is being considered as Chairman of Kwara South Senatorial District of the PDP while that of Kwara Central and North were being kept under wraps.

But a source told The Herald that the party leadership may consider Alhaji Jimoh Adesina and Alhaji Isiaka Oniwa as chairmen Kwara Central and North should they deflect and join the PDP.

The duo are currently with Ishola Balogun Fulani led APC executive in the state that had refused to pitch tent with Saraki in the PDP.