Trouble in Kwara APC escalates; PDP members threaten to leave for APC

From Adedeji Joseph, Ilorin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has threatened to resist the possibility of its breakaway group in 2014 (nPDP) coming back into the party in a matter of days.
Leader of the nPDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje was earlier in the week reported to have hinted that by this Sunday, the general public would know the party his group would move into.
However, first chairman of the party in Kwara State, Alhaji Kunle Sulyman, in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin said if the group in the state allegedly under the leadership of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is allowed to join PDP, the entire membership of the party in Kwara would move into another party, possibly APC.
He spoke as followers of the Senate President in the APC in the State staged a procession in Ilorin asking him to take them out of the party (APC) as soon az possible, describing the party as unfit.
Sulyman said; “our position is clear and straight forward that should the national body of our party accept Dr. Bukola Saraki, we will move to another place. Forget about slight differences we may have, the two sides have agreed to leave PDP and join another party.
“We have warned the national body that by the grace of God, take Bukola Saraki back into the PDP and lose Kwara State. I have listened to the pronouncement of Alhaji Kawu Baaraje that the nPDP will tell the world by the weekend where they would go next.
“I am also saying that by next week Friday, we will tell Nigerians where we are going too. I must say here that this is not a threat but a reality that will affect all Nigerians. I am the chairman of the North Central Consultative Assembly (NOCCA).
“We have consulted and we are still consulting with our brothers in the six geo-political zones that a decision will soon be taken regarding our political stand leading to 2019. We have our members spread across many political parties and they are well positioned which makes our position as to where to go readily available”.
Asked why he was sounding so bitter about the Senate President and his followers in the state, the pioneer PDP chairman said; “it is unfortunate and very sad that Nigerian politicians and their actions are becoming meaningless.
“The nPDP has not advanced any cogent reason that will impact the lives of the masses as the reasons for wanting to leave APC. What we heard is that they want the APC government to drop all the charges against the Senate President before they would be ready to stay back in APC”.
In another development, a factional chairman of Kwara APC, Hon. Bashir Omolaja, while addressing a press conference in Ilorin blamed the crisis in the party on a Senator, accusing him of defiling the party position on zoning of the position he is currently occupying..
He asserted that he did everything untoward to clinch the office saying; “While the president and the party remain democratic, he was busy sowing seeds of discord and seeking means of destroying the party. His latest antic was the formation a splinter group” .
Bolarinwa lamented that since the a Kwara politician emerged, he had been attracting odium to the institution of the Senate and Kwara State.
His words; “…has consistently made life difficult for Nigerians through budget padding and delay in passage of budgets.These are practices created by him to slow down government and confer undue benefits on him.”.
The factional APC chairman therefore said since the other faction had openly pulled out of the party, the national body of the party should dispense with the officers of the faction and declare his executive as authentic.
Already, Bolarinwa’s faction has approached the court asking that the congress that produced the rival factional officers be declared null and void..