The dust created by INEC’s declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the winner of the 17 November Ekiti, Oke-ero, Isin and Irepodun Federal Constituency by-election in Kwara State is yet to settle.
Following widespread allegations of irregularities during the election, the leadership of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has resolved to employ all legal means to retrieve the HoR ticket which was previously held by PDP’s late Princess Olufunke Adedoyin, from the APC.
Insiders at high-level meetings of PDP in the state held last week in Ilorin have revealed plans to appeal the outcome of the elections at the tribunal. To this end, the source continued, an experienced Senior Advocate of Nigeria with a strong history of winning electoral appeals, has been briefed to file the petition based on what the insider described as 'strong evidence of substantial non-compliance with the applicable electoral law’.
According to the source, this move has energised members and supporters across the state, especially in Kwara South where the elections took place.
"The fact that only 25% of registered voters voted in the election even in our traditional strongholds in Kwara South shows that the overwhelming deployment of security forces to intimidate our members, the unjust arrest of our members, coupled with wide-spread malpractice was responsible for APC's victory. Those who see the results of a by-election in which APC cheated as evidence that Saraki-PDP is beatable in Kwara should stop deceiving themselves. We will reclaim our stolen mandate. Mark my words”, said the source.
On the ongoing review of positions in the party ahead of the general elections, the source laughed off rumours that the outcome of the disputed by-elections spurred the current changes. Said the highly placed party official: ”Consultation and reviews have always been part of the Saraki PDP structure. It's a decades-long practice to take members' feedback over party decisions. Currently, the leadership is reviewing and addressing feedback from members across the board. It's nothing to do with our stolen mandate in the by-election which we will soon recover. This feedback, consultation and review by our leadership in the PDP are the primary reasons we haven't experienced the kind of impunity the APC is notorious for and which has put their party in disarray and weakened it ahead of 2019”, said the source who asked not to be named.

Details have emerged of how major stakeholders from Ibolo Division of Kwara South Senatorial District, prevailed on Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed to cede the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) Senatorial Ticket to the Division.
According to sources, a delegation of senior PDP stakeholders from Ibolo, which comprises Offa and Oyun Local Government Areas, visited Governor Ahmed at Government House, Ilorin on Friday night to persuade him to drop the Senatorial ticket in favour of an Ibolo aspirant, widely believed to be the current occupant, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim.
The delegation which comprised Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Kola Shittu, Mrs. Wosilat McCarthy, Capt. Taiwo Popoola (rtd), chairpersons of the party in both Local Governments and other stakeholders, according to the source, pleaded with Governor Ahmed to give up the PDP Kwara South Senatorial Ticket to allow Ibolos have a second shot at the seat in keeping with the existing tradition of rotation within the political party.
The Oyun and Offa stakeholders told Governor Ahmed that since Igbomina and Ekiti indigenes had both served two terms at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, it was only right to extend the same opportunity to the Ibolos in the interest of equity and fairness.
The source revealed that the delegation also urged the state governor to accede to their request based on his reputation as an advocate of equity, fairness and inclusion in the party and within the polity as a whole.
The delegation, which took turns to make their case, said that doing so will further strengthen and unite the party while giving the people of Offa and Oyun a greater sense of belonging in the PDP.
Responding, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed thanked the delegation for its visit and acknowledged that he has always advocated for fairness, equity and justice in the affairs of the Kwara South and indeed the State.
Governor Ahmed reportedly told the Ibolo leadership that having listened to their entreaties and considered historical and political antecedents in the state, he will grant their request in order give the Ibolos a fair chance at achieving equity.
Governor Ahmed reportedly informed the delegation that the party leadership in the state will use the opportunity of the personal sacrifice he was making to revisit other positions across the board to address concerns of equity raised by the outcome of the last PDP primary exercises in the state.
Alhaji Ahmed was quoted to have said that as one of the PDP leaders in the state and its leader in Kwara South, he was making a sacrifice to demonstrate leadership by example as well as deepen equity in the party.
He said this will further strengthen the unity of PDP in the state as a party of inclusiveness as opposed to what transpired in the All Progressives Party(APC) where inclusiveness and justice were jettisoned and tickets were given to the highest bidder.
Governor Ahmed said this state of affairs is why APC is in disarray despite the efforts on its leadership.

HoR By-Elections: Governor Ahmed Denies Losing Kwara South Senatorial Ticket

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has denied social media speculations that the Kwara South Senatorial ticket has been retrieved from him on account of the last House of Representatives by-election results in the state.

Governor Ahmed, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant On Media and Communications, Dr Muyideen Akorede, described as politically motivated mischief the rumours that he has been asked to step down due to the People’s Democratic Party(PDP)’s loss of the Ekiti, Oke Ero, Irepodun and Omu Aran by-elections.

The Governor said, on the contrary, consultations had been going on before the November 17 elections within the political family to consider the request by the leadership of the Ibolo division of Kwara South, from where the current Senator hails, for a second tenure at the Senate

Furthermore, he said that the ongoing consultation was based on the view that the Igbomina and Ekiti divisions had successfully served two terms in the Senate as opposed to the Ibolo division whose representative had served only one term in the Senate.

While describing the last by-election as a farcical exercise marked by voter intimidation, widespread disenfranchisement and the use of security agencies against PDP supporters and members, Alhaji Ahmed said the result of such a disputed election could, therefore, not have formed the basis of a review of his candidacy for the Kwara South Senatorial elections.

Governor Ahmed assured that PDP will win the general elections in the state as the people of Kwara have resolved never to allow such harassment by security agents again.

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed is to meet with stakeholders and officials of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the State to discuss how the proportion of the N5.1b second tranche of Paris Club refund meant for salaries will be shared.

The Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muideen Akorede, who disclosed this on a radio programme on Thursday, said that the governor, who is currently in Abuja for the National Economic Council meeting, will meet with the labour leaders and leaders of thought when he returns to the State.

The statement noted that the meeting will decide whether the whole money should be used to pay part of local government workers' salaries only or be shared among local government workers, SUBEB staff, LG pensioners, state pensioners, tertiary institutions and as subventions to parastatals in the State.

It added that the meeting will also determine what proportion of the money should go towards programs for the welfare of all citizens and workers.

It will be recalled that Governor Ahmed on Tuesday approved the release of N1b to local councils in the State to offset part of their salary arrears. The governor also approved the release of N312, 191, 101.71 to tertiary institutions in the State to towards arrears owed their staff.

Kwara Gov's Wife Denies Link With Accident

The Wife of the Kwara State Governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed, has denied a report by Saharareporters.com linking her convoy with a traffic accident in Lagos last week in which two people allegedly died.

Speaking through Dr. Femi Akorede, spokesperson to the State Governor, Mrs Ahmed disclaimed any involvement with the reported accident and challenged Saharareporters.com to produce the Police report linking her or her convoy with the incident.

"I have been reliably briefed by several people in the convoy including the wife of the Governor and the facts indicate that Mrs Ahmed's convoy narrowly escaped from the accident rather than causing it. On the said day, Mrs Ahmed was returning from visiting someone in hospital when her convoy narrowly escaped being hit by a tipper-truck, having left the scene of the accident seconds earlier by choice of providence. On noticing the out-of-control tipper truck racing towards them, the remaining drivers quickly left the junction and joined the convoy. The reported accident, tragic as it is, therefore had nothing to do with Mrs Ahmed or her convoy. However, any loss of life is tragic and sad no matter the cause.
"Furthermore, Mrs Ahmed was unaware of what happened until she got to Ilorin and was told about the near-mishap. As a kind-hearted person, she will have offered assistance if she had been aware of the incident at the time. We also only got an inkling of the alleged casualty from the accident following a newspaper report the following day which however did not mention her or her convoy", said DrFemi Akorede

"It is also untrue that the tipper truck in question reportedly ran into by-standers in a bid to avoid a collision with Mrs Ahmed's convoy. Neither is it true that the convoy was driving on the wrong side of the road. All drivers in the convoy have a standing order to avoid over-speeding and to always comply with traffic rules.