Former Kwara state deputy governor Joel Ogundeji, former Kwara House of Assembly Speaker Babatunde Mohammed and former minister of national planning, Prof Abubakar Sulaiman on Friday welcomed back Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state Chief Ogundeji and Alhaji Mohammed served under the then Governor Bukola Saraki and they parted political ways in 2015.
Prof Sulaiman was a minister under the President Goodluck Jonathan.
Other PDP members that hailed the comeback of Saraki at Friday’s event were the 2015 PDP governorship candidate Simon Ajibola, current PDP deputy chair in the state and his women leader counterpart, Alhaji Abubakar Sanni and Hajia Fatimah Magaji and other party stalwarts and elders.
Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the State capital, Alhaji Sanni said the defection of Senator Saraki, Governor Ahmed, the Kwara Assembly speaker and other 22 members, National Assembly members and local government chairmen was a welcome development.
Alhaji Sanni added that the gale of defections to the party has increased its chances of wresting power from the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
“PDP has increased numerically now. With this the party is positioned to win the 2019 presidential elections,” he said.
Said: “It is with great delight and enthusiasm that we welcome these distinguished members to our party. For us today is a great day in the state. It is a new dawn in our political journey to make the state for the present and the coming generations. It is indeed, a reunion of old and long time friends and associates who have jointly contributed in no small measures to the development of Nigeria.
“The returnees, as we are all aware, are not new to the PDP, having served in various capacities on the platform of the party. They parted their ways when the party was facing certain normal challenges of a mega party like ours. Their defection from the PDP in 2014 sealed our party’s defeat in 2015.
“Today, I make bold to say that the PDP has learnt its lessons and now reformed. The party has since imbibed the core values of internal democracy, entrenched discipline and designed mechanisms for revolving internal issues and position itself for electoral victory.
“The PDP in the state, is therefore, prepared to work with Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Ahmed. Anyone who does not want to do so, do not have the interest of Kwara at heart.
“Indeed, for any opposition to receive a sitting Senate President, governors, ambassadors and lawmakers into its fold is a remarkable feat which will send a clear signal of electoral defeat of unimaginable proportion to the ruling APC. “This is a time to look beyond personal sentiments and to see the
coming of bigwigs into Kwara PDP as a threat of any kind but an opportunity to work together, share ideas, team up and meet the aspirations of Kwarans.
“We therefore call on all our teeming members to respect the right of every member of the party and work in unison in the interest of new members and prospective members and build a stronger, united and acceptable party at all levels.”