Kwara PDP Update: Saraki’s 2019 shakes, as his faction appears to fail legality test
The embattled Senate President appears to have illegally organized the last Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary elections in which Rasaq Atunwa emerged as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Kwara State, the Kwarans in Diapora Canada have said.
Speaking for the indigenes in a message sent to The DEFENDER from Ontario, Canadian, Mr. Waheed Seriki, at the weekend said their Diaporans’ investigations revealed that Senator Saraki’s group , which hijacked the PDP structure in Kwara State following his defection from All Progressives Congress (APC), was not at anytime taking part in Kwara State PDP executive elections.
“The fact remains that on 27th November, 2017, in the PDP party convention that was held in Kwara State, Mr. Iyiola Oyedepo, who later decamped to APC emerged the recognized PDP chairman in the state, but Mr. Sunday Fagbemi approached the state high court claiming the election of Mr. Oyedepo was marred by irregularities and as such he Sunday Fabgemi should be declared the winner of the Kwara State PDP Chairman.
“The case between Mr. Oyedepo and Mr Fagbemi was still subjudised as at the time Bukola Saraki and his other APC decampees joined the party in 2018.
“Bukola Saraki’s group did not join either of the two factions fighting at the court, but the embattled Senate President formed his own PDP faction and conducted primary elections for all his anointed candidates contesting for political posts in Kwara State 2019 elections without regards for the already elected PDP party executive council and other intended candidates in the state.
“It will be recalled that a similar case scenario that happened in Kwara State occurred in Ogun State, when the National Planning Committee of the PDP refused to recognize the Dayo led faction of the PDP that are loyal to Senator Buruji Kashamu, who are elected as the PDP executive in Ogun State.
“The PDP National Planning Committee conducted parallel primary election with Buruji Kasamu’s faction who later took the PDP to court for their action and got a court injunction which directed INEC and PDP to accept only the list of the candidate submitted by Kashamu’s faction of the PDP, whose legitimacy constitution affirmed.
“The same scenario is playing out in Kwara State in the run up to 2019 general election because the aggrieved intended candidates of the PDP in last primary election that were deprived the right to contest at the PDP primaries in Kwara State, has file a case in Abuja court, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1418/2018 against People Democratic Party, Independent National Electoral, Commission (INEC) and Senator Bukola Saraki challenging the legality of Bukola Saraki who is not member of the PDP executive in Kwara State to conduct election on behalf of the Kwara APC as at the time he was not either a registered member of the party nor member of the party executive,” they said.
