These are not the best of times for the All Progressives Congress Party in Kwara State.
For a while now, there has been wide spread grumblings signaling discontent among party members. One notable symptom of the malaise in the Saraki dynasty led party chapter came to the fore last year November. This was the occasion of the Kwara State LG Polls 2017.
Prior to the polls, palpable fears of imminent defeat permeated the ranks of party members. The opposition People’s Democratic Party cashed in on the divisions and almost caused a major electoral misfortune for the Saraki dynasty.
The imports or implications of all these were not lost to the Senate President, of the 8th National Assembly and icon of the ruling Saraki dynasty. Indications are rife that he has, and is making efforts to mend the torn down fence of his camp.
Inside sources spoke to many of the stakeholders and it appears the widespread discontent arose from the worsening condition of living of the people.
The disgruntled party men were united in several of their individual opinions. Chief of their complaints is the perceived monopoly of appointment into government positions by a few belonging to cliques and their family members.
Appointments to positions as state commissioners, state parastatal boards, federal parastatal boards, party positions and all other political appointments was kept among an elite clique. According to a respondent who prefers anonymity, “we cannot continue to be used to secure political power and thereafter kept as good boys to be given peanuts occasionally.”
In a related development, a collective stakeholders meeting in Moro LGA Chapter; Chaired by a party stalwart, the CEO Fayuze Motors resolved to zone political positions to places that have not held appointments before in the Local Government Area. To actualize this unanimous decision of zoning formular, three names were penciled to be sent to the state party exco.
Hameed Adeshina Sa’ad was picked from Agbaku centre; Alhaji Suleiman from Aberejo centre and Alhaji Gani Jimoh were the three names recommended by the committee to be sent to the State party hierarchy.
According to a reliable source, this list of three was hijacked by Moro LGA Party elder, Alhaji Oniwa who was alleged to have replaced the name of Hameed Adeshina Sa’ad with his son, Ahmed Isiaka Oniwa while Alhaji Suleiman from Agbaku centre was replaced with Bilawu Obakunmi.
Speaking further on the development, our source revealed that this action of Alhaji Oniwa, a respected party elder polarized the party chapter with a resultant escalation of the discontent among the members.
The group of aggrieved members fired a petition to the party hierarchy while also sending an appeal to the Senate President, to resolve the issue ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Another party member in response, also has a not too differing opinion. He seem to have reservations about the leadership of Alhaji Oniwa in the Moro LGA party chapter. He felt it was inappropriate to always have a member of his family in council elective and appointed positions.
Inside sources contacted Alhaji Oniwa who was confronted with the complaints against him by his party men. He flatly denied the replacement of names with his sons’. He went further to say, “I did not see any list purportedly hijacked by me.”
This trend is not limited to Moro LGA. In Asa LGA, the lobbying for appointment as LG Secretary and supervisory councilors was alleged to have been hijacked by the party senatorial leader, Alhaji Ojingo Adeshina. According to our source, Alhaji Adeshina penciled down and presented three of his children for various positions in his home local government Asa LGA. This according to an Inside Source Investigation was said to have angered a flustered Bukola Saraki, Senate President and leader of the Kwara State All Progressives Congress Party.
Similar scenario also played out in Ilorin South LGA where the party chapter Chairman, Alhaji Adamson was alleged of various abuse of his chairmanship position.
Allegations against him include gratification from would be appointees to favouring his female friends and replacements of names that represents the wishes of party ward members. As at the time of filing this report, the party hierarchy is believed to be considering relieving him of the chairmanship position.
It would be recalled that late last week; cabinet members of the APC led government in Kwara State were sent packing. Most of the sacked cabinet members had been trailed by non-complimentary public opinions and abysmal woeful performance as grassroots mobilizers in their wards during the local government polls in November last year.
Meanwhile, as the first month winds up in the pre-election year of 2019, opinions and impressions about the stronghold of Kwara politics by the Saraki dynasty continue to swing back and forth. Every shades of opinion are however united on the fact that 2019 elections will definitely not follow known pattern. The opposition PDP in the state doesn’t appear to have found any in their fold who can give the Saraki dynasty a run for their money. Albeit, the Senate President has a famed reputation as the political cat with nine lives, it is certain that many of these proverbial lives have been decimated by the wranglings in his camp and now he may just have only one life like the rest of us.
