Saraki

The rumoured planned return of Senate President Bukola Saraki back to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is already causing an uproar in the party.

The PDP stakeholders in his home state of Kwara are concerned that Saraki, who dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon return to contest for the 2019 presidential ticket of the party and hijack the party’s structure in the state in the process.

Chairman of Kwara State PDP, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, led a delegation of the party’s bigwigs to their National Secretariat in Abuja urging the party chairman, Prince Uche Secondus not to allow the Senate President to hijack the party.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Oyedepo said it was not right to allow Saraki to have his way on the grounds that he abandoned the party when he was expected to contribute in building and strengthening it.

Oyedepo said: “We are apprehensive of what the national leadership can do to welcome somebody who had gone away from the party and is being given a royal welcome into the party.

“It is not that Saraki’s coming may create any fear, it is whatever the national leadership can do to encourage him to seize the party’s structure from established people of Kwara state.

“Whoever is returning must respect the structure of our party and co-operate with us appropriately. We will welcome Saraki with open hands if he comes to be part of the party. We can’t say somebody should not join our party.

“In plain language, the executive that is on ground was constitutionally elected for four years and parties are always in anticipation of new people joining them. You cannot dismantle the structure of a party because someone is joining the party.”