APC, PDP, Third Force in Battle of Wits in Kwara
Hammed Shittu writes that the two major political parties in Kwara State; the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party are bedeviled by internal crises, leading to the emergence of a splinter group in the APC called the Third Force
The political atmosphere in Kwara State, popularly called State of Harmony, has continued to thicken every day ahead of the 2023 general election despite the fact that the election is still far away. This is so in view of the current political calculations and maneuvering that continues to trail political events across the 16 local government councils of the state.
This development can be seen across the two major political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while a new Third Force political group have emerged from APC towards seeking the support of the people of the state during the period so as to wrestle power from perceived oppressors.
In the ruling APC, things have fallen apart and the centre can no longer hold as various camps have made new moves to seek new platforms that would help them realise their political ambitions.
The party has been enmeshed in leadership crisis since it emerged victorious during the 2019 general election in the state. The stakeholders instead of consolidating on the electoral victory and working together as a team to set a new agenda for the socio and political development, became fragmented to the extent that, this has continued to take a serious toll on the growth of the party.
The party was so divided to the extent that, they could not form a common agenda that would have become a formidable team to help them work again as one entity to seek another four year in the political calculation like they did during the 2019 general election under the political movement called ‘O To Ge”(Enough is Enough) that wrestled power from the scion of late political leader of the state and former governor, Dr Bukola Saraki.
The feud however snowballed into two major camps in the party. One is believed to be led by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while the other group called the AA group answers to the state governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Each group is working in different directions, trying to outwit each other ahead of the 2023 general election.
The development has led to accusations and counter accusations over the party’s electoral processes especially the recent party’s membership and revalidation exercise and appeal committee set up by the national leaders of the party.
Though, the incumbent governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is yet to comment on whether he is interested in a second term bid or not but his political calculations have shown moves for a second term bid. He has taken over the party leadership, and his real involvement in the just concluded party membership registration exercise among others are signs of his interest to seek another term in office.
Apart from this, the The governor and his group called Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (AA) group have allegedly taken over the control of the party based on the constitutional provisions of the party that allows state governors on the party’s platform to be the leader of the party and
this has helped him to finally install his main man, Alhaji Abdullahi Samari as the new state chairman of the party against a well accepted state chairman of the party, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa that is from Alhaji Lai Muhammed’s group.
The governor also recently welcomed the immediate past chairman of the PDP into APC at an event to mark the celebration of June 12 in the state. This was a clear demonstration that he has taken over the grassroots of the party.
However, the other group led by the Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Muhammed has been strategising on how their group would have its way when the time comes. Series of meetings, consultations and mobilisation have been going on in the group as a move to wrestle party leadership from the governor at the right time. The APC has postponed its congresses indefinitely. The national convention of the party would surely determine who is in charge of the party in Kwara State.
However, piqued by these irreconcilable differences, some members of the party recently decided to dump the APC and formed a political group under the name of Third Force Movement in the state.
The group according to THISDAY checks was formed to serve as a new front to bring new breed politicians together aimed at wrestling power from the APC.
These aggrieved people that formed the Third Force were those that worked together as a team to form the “O To Ge Movement (Enough is Enough) that wrestled power from the PDP during the 2019 general election.
Although, there were insinuations from certain quarters in the state that the group is being funded by APC leader and former party’s governorship aspirant, Alhaji Yakubu Gobir but some members of the force that spoke with journalists denied such allegation instead they said, “we were just begging him to join us in order to rescue us from the ongoing marginalisation in the state.”
Speaking at the unveiling of the group in Ilorin, the spokesman of the group who is also the former state APC senatorial chairman for Kwara central senatorial, Mallam Abdulfatai Abdulrahman, said that, “It is impossible to achieve the developmental goals we are aiming for Kwarans in the midst of chaotic situation
we found ourselves in Kwara APC.”
Mallam Abdulrahman who accused the governor and the current leadership of their former party, APC of allegedly disfranchising many of them due to the power that be in the state added that, their new party would be unveiled in due course.
The defectors , who tore their APC membership cards and burnt their brooms-symbol of the party, at the event said that the plot to allegedly marginalize them was all about 2023 political permutations.
He added, “As you are all aware, Kwara APC has been enmeshed in one crisis or the other almost immediately after the party’s primary, stretching into the campaign period and lingering up to date.
“The crisis reached its peak with the recent concluded APC membership revalidation and registration exercise in the state that was flawed with deliberate policies and grand orchestration to deregister and disenfranchise selected members of the party.
“The success of a political party is anchored on its popularity, intra party membership cohesion, integrity and sincere commitment to the service of the masses. All these are glaringly diminishing in Kwara APC as it is now.
“A grand design that denied majority of party members the opportunity to register and revalidate their membership across the state is a 2023 permutation agenda. We can never cross our fingers and watch the game from the sideline.
“The deliberate inaction to address the lingering crisis in Kwara APC has become obvious to all discerning minds that the agenda to deregister and refusal to revalidate thousands of members across the state was a grand plot that has the backing of the National Caretaker Committee of the party.”
Also speaking on the new development, a chieftain of APC who sought anonymity told our correspondent that, “We are the architect of our current situation in the party.”
He said that, “The number of those that dumped the party last week and formed a third force are the people that we worked with during the 2019 general election in the name of “O To Ge” and see what are facing now.”
The APC leader who accused some power that be behind the ugly development in the
party said, “I dont know how we are going to do it again in Kwara because those that worked for the electoral victory of APC have dumped the party and some people are saying they do not matter.”
“We shall see the outcome of the defection of these people during the next elections in the state and I want to add that many people will also quit APC after the national convention if the ongoing attitude and perceived marginalisation are not stopped in the party.
“I believe that it is high time the govenror forgets the past and convenes a peace meeting of stakeholders including leaders, youths, women, among others because there is an adage that says a tree cannot make a forest and if the APC will win the 2023 general election, this is the time to bury our differences and come together as one entity like we did it during the 2019 general elections.”
Meanwhile, as this is going on in the ruling APC, the opposition PDP is also making its own political calculation ahead of the 2023 general election.
The party is also in turmoil as allegations and counter allegations continue to trail the suggestion on which zone will take the governorship position during the 2023 polls.
Although, no aspirant of the party has come out to signify his or her intention for the plum position but the event of the past few months over zoning has generated comments from the stakehoders in the party across the three senatorial districts.
Political observers believe that a senatorial area of the state that has the lowest voting strength has been clamouring to take the slot at the expense of senatorial districts that have the highest voting strength in the state in the name of.power shift. This particular senatorial district will surely still depend on the other two senatorial districts to enable it achieve its goal at the end of the day.
It is on this issue of power shift in the party that the party stakeholders have been engaging themselves on which zone would produce the next governorship position of the state and they have been making their position known at various occasions.
For example, PDP leaders in Kwara central senatorial have denied their support for the zoning of the governorship position to Kwara north senatorial as being rumoured in certain quarters.
In a statement signed by the Committee’s Chairman and Secretary, Hon. Abdulwahab Isa and Hon. Isiaka Mogaji respectively, and made available to journalists in Ilorin, Kwara central leaders of the party under the aegis of Unity Committee described the report as false, malicious and misleading.
The PDP leaders said that, “Be that as it may, the committee reiterated that at no time did we resolve on zoning the gubernatorial position to the north senatorial district or any other position for that matter.
As this is going on in the ruling APC, the opposition PDP is also making its own political calculation ahead of the 2023 general election. The party is also in turmoil as allegations and counter allegations continue to trail the suggestion on which zone will take the governorship position during the 2023 polls. Although, no aspirant of the party has come out to signify his or her intention for the plum position