Controversy has continue to trail the Kwara political landscape in the last couple of days following the suspension of the state caretaker chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Bashir Bolarinwa Omolaja by the national secretariat of the Party.
Meanwhile, the upheaval has also caused serious division among APC Local Government chairmen rank and file.
A section of the chairmen, in a statement signed by the APC chairman of Baruten Local Government, Adamu Setaraco and his Ilorin West counterpart, Sulyman Tejidini, passed a vote of confidence on Abdullahi Samari’s appointment as the new caretaker chairman.
The statement read, “We received the news of your appointment with great excitement and satisfaction. Given your track records of excellent leadership as a core progressive, we are in no doubts that the peace and unity of purpose which had long eluded our Party in the State will be revived and our great Party will again return much stronger, focused and united. We also thank our leader, the Executive Governor of Kwara State for delivering services to the good people of Kwara in line with our Party’s campaign promises. We hereby call on the Party leaders, members and other Kwarans of good conscience to sustain their supports for our performing Governor.
“While we commend our National leadership for taking the right steps to permanently return peace to Kwara APC, we appreciate their deligence in putting all machinery in motion to ensure the success of this exercise. We therefore call on our members, old and intending ones to avail themselves the rare opportunity of the registration to fully own the Party in their respective areas by encouraging as many people to join the party.
“On the final note, we urge our distinguished members of APC to come out en masse for the membership registration exercise that will commence on the 25th January, 2021 as we promised to carry everybody along.”
However another section of the Party LG chairmen denounced the position, insisting that Bolarinwa remain the only Kwara APC Caretaker Chairman it recognize and shall only be accountable to him in accordance with the APC Constitution.
The statement was jointly signed by APC chairmen in Ifelodun LG, Hon. Mohammed Shilo Awobimpe; Ilorin East, Elder. Babatunde Kolawole Asanlu; Asa, ALH. Hassan Abdullahi; Irepodun, Hon. Aransiola Oyeyemi Samson; Isin, Hon. Bamidele Ogunbayo.
Others are; ALH. Monsuru Ademola of Ilorin South LG, Hon. Taiye Olaniyi of Oyun LG, Hon. Yusuf Abdulganiyu Kehinde of Offa LG, Engr. Muhideen Shittu of Oke Ero LG, Hon. Bamidele Ogunbayo of Isin LG.
While justifying its claims, they hinted that the chairman piloted the struggle to liberate Kwarans from the then dynasty and won 100% in the past election which makes it a history not only in Kwara but across Nigeria.
They furthered, “The same Bolarinwa knelt down in public to apologise and beg other aggrieved aspirants on behalf of Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, so that they all work together to achieve the success we are all celebrating today. If Bolarinwa could have knelt down and begged with so much humility, why then is the Governor so desperate to remove him.
“Since the emergence of the Governor, we have not in anyway been able to sleep with our two eyes closed as the plot to distabilize the party keeps kicking day after day with all fingers pointing at the Governor.
In its resolution, the chairmen warned Sulyman Tejidini to stop misrepresenting the APC Local Government Caretaker Chairmen for his self serving personal interest.
“The Governor should call these imposters destabilizing the party to order not to cause division within the party henceforth, if truly he isn’t the architect of their mischief.
“We stand fully with BOB and hereby pass Vote of Confidence on his chairmanship.”
