Apprehension in Kwara over fate of PDP candidate

By NBF News

In a subtle move meant to thaw the strained relationship between Dr. Olusola Saraki and his governor-son, Bukola Saraki, the latter may have tactically left his anointed political godson and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdulfatai Ahmed, to his fate.

Ahmed had defeated Bashir Bolarinwa, a member of the House of Representatives, to clinch the governorship ticket of the PDP for this April's election in the state.

Daily Sun gathered that the governor had intimated the PDP candidate to take responsibility for his campaign expenses, a move interpreted to mean that he was no longer ready to give his all in the quest to ensure that PDP retained the governorship seat of Kwara State in next election.

Governor Saraki was also said to be planning to go on a two-month vacation, thereby effectively closing the door against Ahmed and the PDP, a move, which would invariably boost the chances of his sister, Senator Gbemi Saraki, at the polls. Ahmed was, until his election, the commissioner of economic planning. He had been commissioner of finance for many years before his recent redeployment.

Further investigations revealed that the PDP members in the state were worried that with the governor's lack of interest, the coast was not just clear for his sister, it was a way for him to worm his way back to his father's heart and make peace with the old man. The governor and the elder Saraki had been at daggers drawn because of the governor's refusal to concede to his father and support his sister. Led by her father, the senator had since pitched her tenth with another party, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).

Political watchers are beginning to ascribe Ahmed's emergence as a plot to hoist a weaker candidate who could easily be overrun by the governor's sister. Daily Sun's source revealed that the PDP members in the state were worried that they might lose the state if nothing was done. The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN too was said to be jubilating because 'the PDP candidate was once a guest at the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for reasons bordering on the state's finances. Although he had since been cleared, at the appropriate time the ACN will use it against him and the party, the PDP,' the source said.

Responding to these allegations, the director of media of the defunct Abubakar Bukola Saraki, ABS campaign, Alhaji Garbadeen Muhammad, said to the best of his knowledge, the governor was not travelling anywhere and was keen on seeing the party to success. He, however, said it was a 'state matter' and only the governor's press secretary could appropriately address the issue.