The National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was on Saturday held after months of anticipation and anxiety on who picks the ticket which was fiercely contested among many top leaders of the party. It has however since been counting its casualties across the country, which has even threatened the unity of the party going forward. In this piece, HEAD POLITICS, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM looked at how the issues affected the Kwara State chapter of the party.
For the Kwara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, the last national convention of the party was particularly significant and for obvious reasons. The party’s national convention which came about a month after the state chapter congress of the party was held was looked up to by many as the final arbiter to the protracted crisis that had rocked the party. Prior to the last congress, many leaders of the party had operated along divided lines which have undermined the effectiveness of the party as a strong opposition voice to drive the ruling party into action for the benefit of the entire citizens. But who are the winners and losers of the party’s national convention back home in the state?
WINNERS
Iyiola Oyedepo: For many party observers and watchers of political events in the state, hitherto embattled chairman of the party, Iyiola Oyedepo, comes into the picture as one of the biggest winners of the last national convention of the party. Oyedepo has been on a protracted battle with his fierce opponent and former factional chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi. Following the previous congress in 2015 that preceded the 2017 event held ironically at the same Arca Santa venue along Ajase-Ipo, there has been no love lost between the two individuals as they are always at logger heads and very often go against one another on issues of common interest. However, the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the PDP that was held before the national convention ratified the election of Iyiola Oyedepo, who defeated Fagbemi with 220 to 217 votes to emerge. Confirming the position of the national executives, the party’s then caretaker publicity secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, while featuring on Channels Television programme ‘Politics Today’, which was monitored by this medium, confirmed in support of the national body that the crisis has been resolved in Kwara and no member of the party drums the beat of war any longer. He further stressed that the congress that held in the state that produced its executives was successful and devoid of biases against allegations made by Fagbemi. Oyedepo will go ahead to lead the party to the national convention, a position which made him an automatic member of the party’s NEC.
Yinka Aluko: For Alhaji Yinka Aluko, the former running mate to the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 general election, his appointment as one of the ex officio member of the party at the national level underscores his influence and connection, especially when considered on the basis of a non elective appointment. Although Yinka Aluko did not put in for any position at the national executive, he has long been in the camp of Oyedepo and had voiced his opinion to support the party during its factional era in the state on party issues that calls for reaction. Aluko in his new capacity is one of the voices of thoughts of the party and will be one of the think of the party going forward into 2019.
LOSERS
Prince Sunday Fagbemi had been in a long running battle with Iyiola Oyedepo over the party’s chairmanship and looked up to the appeal committee set up by the defunct Senator Ahmed Makarfi led national caretaker committee as the last straw to hang on. But he was disappointed as the party authenticated the chairmanship of his rival, Oyedepo. Fagbemi subsequently petitioned the committee to express his displeasure complaining of over voting and discrepancies. Although Oyedepo also wrote to petition same appeal committee over issues he said he felt uncomfortable about, he took Fagbemi to the cleaners. While Fagbemi had about four officials in the state exco, including the state Woman Leader and Youth Secretary among other, he rejected the result and the party’s NEC did not help his cause either at the state level or national convention. Still after the national convention, Fagbemi has remained silent and have not indicted yet whether he will work with any of the new party officials in the state.
Abubakar Sulyman: For the former Minister of National Planning, Professor Abubakar Suleiman, the last National Convention of the party was a big blow for him and he voiced out his frustration after the announcement of results. Abubakar after his appointment as minister was at a time the unofficial spokesman of the party during its trying days after the defeat of former president Jonathan as the gong of the PDP ministers. Suleiman gave the contest for the office of the National Publicity secretary of the party his “all” but he got stuck in the process. While the contest was on, Suleiman embarked on vigorous campaign and political watchers were already looking at the prospect of two Kwarans, himself and Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, being the mouthpiece of both the opposition and ruling parties simultaneously in the country. But that was not to be as his candidature was said to have been deflected heavily by his EFCC trial. In his frustration, Abubakar in response rejected the result and vowed to go to challenge the result in court. According to him “he would not accept the result of election into the office of the National Publicity Secretary because the ballot box omitted one of his names, leaving delegates confused.
“I won’t accept the results, I have written the electoral committee and I will go to court,” he said.
Suleiman, in his petition entitled “Unlawful Exclusion of Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman and the Demand For Cancellation of Election into the office of National Publicity Secretary” said: “I am constrained to write to demand for cancellation of election into the office of National Publicity Secretary of our great Party in the on-going Elective Party Convention on the ground of unlawful exclusion of my name as one of the candidates contesting for the above mentioned post of our Party.
“I am one of the candidates of the above mentioned post in the ongoing elective party convention having obtained application form, duly screened and my candidacy approved to stand for the election. I have also campaigned across the nation seeking the support of bonafide delegates to the convention. To my chagrin and utter constellation, I was informed that my name was conspicuously missing from the list of candidates vying for the post of National Publicity Secretary which lists were pasted in booths earmarked for voting into the office of National Publicity Secretary.
“My names are Prof Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman, with Suleiman as my surname, a name I have borne and by which I am known by all and sundry. Needless to say this is the name by which I am identified by my teeming supporters who where unlawfully disenfranchised. Suffice to mention that at no time did I hold myself out to bear other name without any other name but ABUBAKAR OLANREWAJU SULEIMAN, Olanrewaju merely being my middle name. I therefore pray that the august body would do right by me by cancelling the purported election of today…”, he added.
Comrade Ben Duntoye: Prior the official announcement of the result, reports in one of the party’s online platform in the state had celebrated the victory of Comrade Ben Duntoye that “he has been chosen as the next National Publicity Secretary of PDP after long deliberation from the National Working Committee and the Governors. Unconfirmed report said Governor Nyesome Wike was of the opinion that the party would not want any publicity secretary with EFCC and ICPC case hanging on his head. Some of the PDP members in the state who supported Duntoye, especially those who opposed Suleiman’s faction said they don’t want any publicity secretary who does not have media presence or who is not a comrade and have no tenacity to stand any storm, who cannot analyse, articulate and engage the public with issue based debate. The argument was also that Suleiman should have teamed up with Duntoye for a unified and more solid cause instead of challenging him to polarise and jeopardise the chances of the state. They argued that Duntoye have all it takes to be the PDP National Publicity Secretary as the former Commissioner of Information and Communication. Former Pan African Youth President. Former National Youth Council President and a member of NUJ, with track records in PDP nationwide, whose service in different national committees and delegate speaks volume of his experience excellence and professionalism. All these however could not count for him at the convention.
