Issues centering on the 2023 General Election have once again, come to the fore in Kwara state as the leading opposition party in the state, the PDP, has had prominent members of the State Working Committee disagreeing on the current situation in the party.
A story published by an Ilorin-based online news outlet had triggered a discussion on the issues of how campaign activities were handled and how campaign funds were managed by the party leaders ahead of the 2023 General Election.
The online news outlet in question had submitted that relations between the state PDP leader, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and members of the State Working Committee had gotten strained while adding that a rumbling of annoyance currently exists in the party.
The state Publicity Secretary, Prince Tunji Morounfoye in a statement issued in reaction to the said story , however asserted that ‘there are no cracks in the party and there is nothing like a frosty relationship between members of the SWC and the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state and former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki’ adding that, ‘no matter how hard the Kwara APC regime tries to demarket the PDP leader, his integrity and known ability will always shine through’ .
He also said the alleged sponsors of the story had done this because they were aware that it was being proposed that the former Senate President should take over as National Chairman of the party.
‘We also wish to authoritatively state that there is no brewing crisis of confidence between the party executives and our Leader emanating from the way the campaign funds for the 2023 general election were handled. How can there be such? The Leader of the state PDP, Dr. Abubakar ‘Bukola Saraki (CON) has been the major financier of the party since 2019 so why would there be any discussion about finances of the party?
It is true that the PDP executives, held a meeting in Ilorin, the state capital on June 1, 2023, to review the performance of the PDP in the last general election and we realized that the below par performance of the party was due to inadequate funding. We realized that we couldn’t outspend the current All Progressive Congress (APC) regime which had through their Kwara state Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi informed Kwarans and Nigerians last year through a viral video that, ‘they’ would empty the Kwara state treasury if need be, to win the 2023 general election. What we saw during the 2023 general elections, gave absolute credence to the APC party Chairman’s boast’ he said.
While alleging that funds belonging to Kwara state were distributed to groups and individual citizens without control ahead of the general election, he also ‘begged the Kwara APC ‘re-elected’ regime to face governance’ adding that ‘the trash all over state is an eyesore, so are the potholes on our roads. We must also remind the state APC regime of the security situation in the state with the increased spate of killings and kidnappings’.
In a development that showed an existing ‘comedy of situation’ and somewhat confirmed that there has been a brouhaha in the party over the way things were handled ahead of the last General Election, the State Youth Leader, Prince Haliru Dantsoho Mahmud, in separate statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com noted that while he may not have agreed that the contents of what was published by the online news outlet was hundred per cent correct, the process of issuing the statement in reaction to this was according to him faulty.
‘My attention has been drawn to the press release issued by the Kwara state PDP Publicity Secretary, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, debunking the rift between Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and members of the State Working Committee of the party.
I was not only disheartened by the response of the Publicity Secretary but also disappointed by his pretense not to be one of the aggrieved persons’ he said.
‘We are all aware of how the SWC members were ridiculed and excluded in respect of the affairs of the party before, during, and after the elections and our functions were usurped by Saraki’s favorites.
Kwarans are all aware that candidates for various elective offices in the 2023 elections were single- handedly picked by Saraki without consultation and input from the party.
The world is also not unaware of how the party has been underfunded since 2018 and how the 2023 Presidential Campaign funds were concealed from the State Working Committee and scientifically siphoned. These unpatriotic and nontransparent attitudes resulted in our total failure, and that’s why we struggled to win only 1 House of Assembly seat out of 24 and lost 6 House of Representatives and 3 Senate seats in Kwara state respectively.
However, even if all allegations contained in the write-up are not totally true, it’s the constitutional responsibility of the State Working Committee to meet, deliberate on the matter, and reach a resolution before the Publicity Secretary is directed to issue a press statement to that effect.
I was dismayed by the singular decision of the Publicity Secretary to purportedly speak on behalf of the SWC’ he added.
That was not all, Prince Haliru Dantsoho Mahmud, has given his co-SWC member, Prince Tunji Morounfye , 24 hours to take what he considered as remedial steps while claiming to have done this on behalf of others , no one among the state chairman, the Organizing Secretary, the Woman Leader and the state Secretary, however co-signed the statement issued by the Youth Leader.
‘We, as members of the State Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) Kwara state chapter, wish to debunk the purported press release by the PRO, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, as he was not authorized to do so and has no right to issue any statement on behalf of the party without being given directive by the State Working Committee and / or the State Executive Committee..
All members of the SWC, including Prince Tunji Moronfoye, were aggrieved and resolved to challenge the anomaly with a view to rebuilding the party for future prospects. Unfortunately, 1 or 2 of our members are derailed because they cannot hold their thirst for money for too long. Hence, they betrayed the cause.
As a matter of urgency, the P.R.O. should withdraw the press statement and apologize to the SWC within 24 hours or face a disciplinary action for issuing an unauthorized press statement.
Finally, no member of the party should issue any press statement or take action on behalf of the party without permission or clearance from the exco of the party at the Ward, Local, Senatorial or State levels’ Dantsoho, said.
Asked during a telephone conversation with Team@orientactualmags.com if he was planning to leave the PDP, Dantsoho said he would not have emphasized the need to rebuild and reposition the Kwara state PDP if he was considering the idea of ‘party switching’-Team@orientactualmags.com
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