Scores of PDP members defect to YPP in Kwara
By Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Kwara state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered another big blow with the defection of scores of its members to the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Alhaja Rahmat Oba-Jara, who led the defectors to the YPP, expressed disillusionment with their former party, and the antics of the party leader in the state, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, saying “we are tired of it all”.
She said: “We are tired of being slaves and that’s what we were for a very long time, we are tired of being controlled by a single man who is so arrogant and believes he is everything.
“We want our people to live a new life. We are leaders of today and not tomorrow.
“I, Alhaja Ramat Abdukadri Oba-Jara, want to bring out that shining hope in me and others from Ilorin South. I want the world to know that I can do better too.
“If you have good things to do in the PDP, they will kill your morale in the name of Saraki.”
Alhaja Oba-Jara, who was full of encomiums for the Founder of Gobir Foundation, Mallam Yakubu Gobir, believed to be nursing a governorship aspiration under the YPP, described Gobir as “a man of the people, the type of man we should line up behind because he cares about people, he is here to bring us out from slavery.” The defector, reputed to be an staunch supporter of the PDP and a close associate of Senator Bukola Saraki, is believed to be nursing an ambition to go to the House of Reps under the YPP banner in the next dispensation.
Meanwhile, the YPP has commended the Kwara state chapter of the party for being the first state to conduct its Ward and Local Government party Congresses.
The National Secretary of the party, Hon. Vidiyeno Bamaiyi, a former deputy Speaker, Adamawa House of Assembly, who was at the party’s State Secretariat in GRA, Ilorin, where the Ilorin South local government party Congress was held, congratulated the new set of local government party executives.
At the end of the Congress, witnessed by
national and state officers of YPP and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), new leaders of the party at the local governments emerged by consensus arrangement in line with the electoral act recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Some of the new party leaders at the local government level are Isiaka Salman as Chairman, Ibrahim Muritala as his deputy, Abduazeez Ahmad as Secretary, Mohammed Ahmad as Financial Secretary, while Toyin Jaguman emerged as the woman leader of YPP at the Ilorin South Local Government level.
Explaining the details of the Congresses, Hon Bamaiyi said: “Kwara chapter of the YPP is the first to hold its congresses in all the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT. Others will soon follow, maybe in the month of April and May, you will see more congresses in the states.
“Kwara state is more prepared than others and they had indicated interest to do their Congress long before now. In fact, they indicated interest since last year,” he said.
He added that congresses held simultaneously in all 16 local government areas of the state.
“The one you just witnessed at the state party Secretariat is for Ilorin South. Other local governments are also holding theirs. We have people who are moving around and giving us feedback on what is happening there.
“INEC is also present at all these localities, we have received reports of other congresses which have been concluded long before this one.
“The report also shows that there were large turnouts and conduct of the elections was peaceful,” he added.