PDP, APC Clash over Secretariat in Kwara
The police Tuesday averted a possible breakdown of peace in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, as supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) squared up to each other over the ownership of the party secretariat.
The controversy over the ownership of the secretariat began following the defection of the Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, his predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki and their loyalists from PDP to APC.
Since their defection, the Saraki loyalists, whose group is believed to have provided the building housing the secretariat, have engaged their former party, including instituting a suit in court, in a battle to regain the building.
Based on reports that the PDP caretaker committee, which was constituted in the aftermath of the defection of Saraki and his supporters, would be coming to begin work yesterday, the APC supporters stormed the secretariat to take over the property.
PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, had last week inaugurated the caretaker committee for the state chapter of the party, with Hon. Solomon Edoja as chairman and Alhaji Jubril Bala Jos as secretary.
The APC supporters angrily removed the PDP flag hoisted at the disputed secretariat.
It took the intervention of armed policemen to prevent what could have led to a breakdown of law and order in the state.
It was learnt that the state police command, on learning about the incident, dispatched four lorry loads of fully armed riot policemen and officers to the party secretariat to maintain law and order.
The state police spokesman, Mr. Ajayi Okasina, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), told journalists that it was wrong of the PDP to attempt to take over the secretariat when the matter over ownership of the secretariat was still pending in the court.
Also in a statement yesterday on the development, a former secretary of the ruling PDP in the state and now a chieftain of APC, Mr. Yemi Afolayan, accused the police for encouraging the PDP to create a crisis in the state.
"The PDP in Kwara State, in another demonstration of the impunity and disregard for the rule of law for which the party has become known for, made another futile attempt to take over our property at the GRA in Ilorin.
"This should not have come as a surprise to anyone given that the party of recent has become a haven of lawlessness with flagrant disregard to the rule of law as its watchword.
"Kwara has known political peace and harmony in the last several years and we appeal to our people not to allow a few disgruntled political elements who can only be regarded as having any level of influence when they create crisis to succeed," he said.
In his reaction, a member of the PDP caretaker committee, Mr. Rex Olaoye, defended the party's action.
He said: "The PDP is not joined in the court case as being raised by the APC loyal to Senator Saraki. The only people joined in the court case was the Nigeria Police Force and hence we met our lawyers and the police before we came here today(yesterday) for our inauguration but some APC members came to mob us."
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence LABTOP Adedipe Mahmud Durosinlohun Atiku Raheem Adaramaja Muideen Olaniyi Alalade Shonga Muslim Cementary Funmilayo Oniwa Sulu Babaita Isiaka Paul Odama Lawan Col. Adedipe Kwara Volleyball Association Sardauna Saheed Akinwumi Ayeyemi Sulaiman Adebayo Salami Owode Market Yahaya Abdulkareem Babaita Baba Adini Of Kwara State Ahmad Belgore Javed Khan KWATMA Dasuki Belgore Chief Imam Of Omu-Aran Ojo Fadumila Adamu Attah Photo News Timothy Olatunde Fadipe ARMTI Ajikobi Sulu Gambari Nigeria Foundation For Artificial Intelligence Sa\'adu Gambari Tunji Folami Issa Memunat Moyosore Magaji Nda Christopher Tunji Ayeni Razaq Ayobami Akanbi Olohungbebe Maryam A. Garuba Toyin Falola Kale Belgore Oro Grammar School Odo-Owa Sai Kayi Kwara State Fish Farmers Association Hamidu Olowo Idi-Ape IsDB Majlis For Sadaqah, Zakat And Waqf IFK Ndakene Oluwarotimi Boluwatife Adenike Akom Construction And Engineering Synergy Ltd Idris Garba Muhammad Yahya Saheed Alakoso Monthly Sanitation Exercise Habeeb Abdullahi Al-Ilory Medinat Folorunsho Salman Durosinlohun Kawu Arandun Valsolar-Kwara Company Limited Council Of The Wise Yahaya Dumoye Oko-Olowo Adamu Ibrahim Sabi Kolawole Akande Alfa Belgore State Bureau Of Internal Revenue Gani Saadu AGILE Programme John Obuh Benin Republic Ahmed Saidu Rufai

