By Dele Moses, Ilorin
Former Commissioner for Works and Transport in Kwara State, Rotimi Illiasu, has explained his decision to challenge in court his replacement as the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Kwara North Senatorial District with another person.
Illiasu, in an interview with members of the Kwara correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said he took the matter to court to fight for justice.
The former commissioner had reportedly emerged the PDP candidate for the senatorial election coming up in January before another person, Kolo Jiya, was, months later, announced to have clinched the party ticket as the candidate.
The emergence of Jiya followed an alignment that took place between the PDP and members of the APC in the state who were aggrieved with their own party over the primary elections.
The PDP leadership, in its negotiation with the aggrieved APC members reportedly conceded the senatorial tickets to the APC members who had agreed to work for the PDP in the general elections.
But, Illiasu said he laboured to win the mandate of members of the PDP in the district for the ticket.
He also explained that his own local government area was the only area out of five in the district that has never have never produced either a senator or member of the House of Representatives from the district.
He said when he was prevailed upon to relinquish the ticket as did his colleagues in the central and south senatorial districts, he refused because the democratic way by which he won the ticket was not the same the other two clinched it.
Illiasu explained that he contested for the ticket in a primary election conducted in his district and that his victory at the primaries earned him the ticket.
He said in the other two senatorial districts, those who were given the ticket did not obtain it through election but through a consensus arrangement with the understanding that it may later be taken away from them.
He said while the two others allegedly held the tickets as placeholders, he won the ticket outright and he was not a placeholder.
Illiasu said when he met with the leader of the PDP in the state, Bukola Saraki, over the matter Saraki expressed displeasure that he (Illiasu) refused to voluntarily relinquish the ticket as did the other two of the north and central districts but he maintained his stance that he won the ticket through election and could not have voluntarily relinquished it because it is the mandate of members of the party in the district given to him.
He said Saraki insisted that the decision of the party to take away the ticket from him stands and that if he chooses to go to court over it, he is free to go.
Illiasu said he decided to challenge his replacement with another person as the candidate at the court so that people can know that justice is obtainable at the court.
“I went to court for justice, I went to court for people to know that court justice could be secured. If I lose, so be it but if I win then Allah has decreed,” he stated.
