Ahead of today’s elections, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State council of traditional rulers, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, on Friday brokered peace between the former governor of the state and senator representing Kwara central senatorial district at the national assembly, Senator Bukola Saraki and his sister, Senator Gbemisola Rukayyah Saraki. Senators Bukola and Gbemisola are the two most popular children of the late strongman of Ilorin politics, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki
The duo had been at loggerheads since 2011 over the political control of Kwara before the death of their father.
The resolution of the crisis according to THISDAY checks, also coincided with the recent defection of Senator Gbemi Saraki from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state to the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC)
Senator Gbemi Saraki had last week Friday, directed all her supporters in the state to vote for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari.
Since then, all her political structures in the PDP had been collapsed into APC in the state so as to ensure the electoral victory of the APC in the today’s polls.
It would be recalled that, during the 2011 general elections in the state, Senator Bukola Saraki was supporting the incumbent governor of the state who contested under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later moved into All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed; where he is currently seeking for second term in office in today’s polls while Senator Gbemi contested under the platform of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria(ACPN) and later moved to PDP after the exit of his brother, Senator Bukola Saraki from the party.
At the end of the 2011 general elections, the candidate of Senator Bukola who happened to be the incumbent Governor of the state, Alhaji Ahmed won the election while Senator Gbemi lost the poll.
Since then, the duo had been doing their things in different ways which hitherto had polarised the Saraki family in Ilorin as they never saw eye to eye
But, on Friday, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim held a private meeting with the duo at his palace located at Oja-Oba, Ilorin.
Sources close to the Emir’s palace told journalists yesterday that, a closed door meeting was held with Bukola and his sister, Gbemisola where the issue was amicably resolved
THISDAY investigations revealed that, no one was allowed into the meeting and it was exclusively between them and the Emir. It lasted for an hour.
Although they didn’t disclose the issues discussed, a palace source said that it was in continuation of the reconciliation move that the Emir had started a few weeks ago.
However, when they came out, they were received by a mammoth crowd who had gathered at the entrance of the palace.
They both walked out and rode in the same vehicle (Bukola’s vehicle) to their father’s house at Ilofa way, GRA, Ilorin.
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