APC crisis: Kwara State lawmakers back chairman’s suspension

Lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State have supported the suspension of the party Caretaker Committee Chairman, Omolaja Bolarinwa.

The lawmakers made up of members of the State House of Assembly and their National Assembly counterparts said Bolarinwa’s sack was long overdue, citing a “plethora of misdeeds.”

Bolarinwa’s suspension and replacement with his erstwhile Deputy, Alhaji Samari Abdullahi, was approved by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee of the party.

In a letter to the National caretaker committee dated January 14, 2021, and signed by the 24 House of Assembly members on a letterhead of the Speaker, the lawmakers accused Bolarinwa of involvement in “anti-party and anti-government activities.”

They also alleged that the former chairman had been criticising the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

“How can a party chairman of a ruling state go public on a radio station to say that” he has not seen anything developmental being executed by his Governor and yet they continue to accommodate each other?

“As a follow-up to his own unguarded outburst, (he was guest on) a sponsored weekly (Tuesdays’) programme at a politically unfriendly radio station used to continually and provocatively embarrass and attack the person of the Kwara State Governor as well as his government.

“The suspended chairman and his cohorts and by their conduct, hobnobbing occasionally with members of the opposition, to further frustrate Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration is another anti-conduct,” the letter added.

Peace moves
The lawmakers claimed that peace moves they initiated were frustrated by the former chairman and his allies, stressing that the suspension would end the crisis in the party.

The federal lawmakers, in their letter, titled, ‘Re: Support of appointment of Alhaji Abdullahi Samari Abubakar,’ said the removal of Bolarinwa was a “proactive intervention on the simmering crisis in the Kwara State chapter of our party.

“The action you have taken on this lingering matter is also supporting our President’s vision of a robust political system that enables smooth and proactive service delivery to our people.”

Those who signed the letter are Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe (Kwara Central), Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South), Senator Umar Sadik (Kwara North), and four others.

Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the APC, Senator John AkpanUdoedehe, on Monday held a closed-door meeting with the feuding party leaders including the State Governor and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

After the meeting which lasted about two hours, the Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, told reporters a solution to the crisis was at hand.

Communication gap
Bello blamed the crisis on a communication gap.

He said, “I can also say that the cause of this conflict is mostly due to the communication gap which I hope we are able to resolve.”

Bello further explained that ‘‘the party leadership referred the matter to the zonal leadership which hopefully will look at all the issues and make a recommendation to the national body by next week.”

Also, a chieftain of the party in the state, Omar Aiyelabegan appealed to the party leaders to sheath their swords in the interest of the development of the state.

NP/Mercy Chukwudiebere