The crisis rocking Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has taken a new dimension as plots to remove the party chairman, Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, fondly called BOB thicken.
The party chairman and the governor who pitched tent against each other barely 100 days after the party taking over from the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party are said to be fighting a Proxy War of the Lai and Fagbemi faction of the party.
What will later metamorphose to a crises within the party started when the then senate president, Saraki returned to his former party, Peoples Democratic Party with loyalists who formed majority in the APC, this resulted in members of the PDP – “who won’t stand Saraki to face” – also moving back to APC in their multitude.
The national leadership of the APC saw a need to protect the remnant of their party members, due to the trepidation that the newly admitted PDP members with their population might take-over the party, they recommended consensus based on four entities which includes Iyiola Akogun group, Fagbemi group, Lai Mohammed group and Gbemisola Saraki group at the ward, council and state levels.
Investigation revealed that there were no clear criteria for the harmonisation of the lists submitted by these groups thus causing dissatisfaction in the distribution of positions which resulted in splinters – such as the factional ward chairs in Wara, Osin, Egbejila and Baboko Ward of Ilorin West among several others.
Ealier, a meeting of all party stakeholders in the state was said to have been called around late September in Abuja.
The national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomole stated in a meeting that, “Kwara is in an emergency situation and it is better to be badly done than not to do anything at all, we advise you to go and do consensus for the state executives, anywhere you can not choose, we will choose for you, because there is no time,”
He was quoted to have further said, “Go and agree on other positions but the state chairman is reserved for BOB (Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa).”
Speaking on this, a party chieftain in an interview with our correspondent said, “The emergence of Bolarinwa was neither consensus nor election – as stated by the constitution – but imposition, which contravenes Article 20 (i) of the All Progressive Congress constitution that provides that to hold any party position except by election which must be direct or indirect. Primaries or consensus, and where it is consensus there must be a voice vote of YES or NO.”
It was however gathered that none of the stakeholders questioned the rationale behind the decision except Comrade Ganiyu Erubu (an aspirant for Ilorin South constituency at the state House of Assembly) whose efforts to challenge it proved furtile.
Apparently, most of them (party cheiftains) were much interested in the general elections and not primarily the party executives thereupon, disgruntled members like Iyiola Akogun, who was the chairman of PDP before defection, succumb to the national headquaters’ verdict.
“It was the first time members of the opposition will exhibit such maturity,” another source who was at the meeting disclosed to theinformant247.
The source continued, “Notwithstanding, they were ready to move on, except for the overbearing attitude of the chairman (Bolarinwa) who until now was not challenged, mayhaps, this warrants the call for his removal by aggrieved party members.”
Howbeit, the mutual hostility took a new dimension when the party chairman with some of his executives met with the governor to register their displeasure on appointment made by the governor.
Bolarinwa who spoke for about 2 hours, accused the governor of not briefing the party on “appointments made so far”. The governor was said to have responded in 5 minutes and call for a closing prayer without allowing Bolarinwa to further comment on his response. This was said to have triggered immediate hullabaloo that almost led to a physical confrontation between the party executives who accused Bolarinwa of acting Lai Mohammed’s script, neglecting the party’s interest.
Bolarinwa was alleged to have immediately met with party council chairmen of the 16 local government and posited that they should not relate with the governor but Lai Mohammed who he claimed is the party leader and “ready to take care of them”.
One of the chairmen present during the meeting, who pleaded anonymity said, “we all rejected the position and right there pledged allegiance to the governor,”
This scenario was said to have prompted the recent removal of Ilorin South chairman and his replacement with an acting chairman for pitching tent with the Lai camp.
Further investigation revealed that two-third of party executives loyal to the governor has as at last weekend consented to the removal of Bolarinwa.
“We have two options, either it goes the way of removing him legally, which we pend for now, as he is not legally elected chairman, or removed through popular demands and we have gathered the required two-third already.”
As situation unfolds, the question on the lips of every political analyst is, if the two warring factions within the APC will reconcile or the crisis degenerates and take the national format!
