John Alechenu and Sunday Aborisade
8 July 2021
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SENATORS representing the three Senatorial Zones of Kwara State on Wednesday, declared support for Governor Abdurahman Abdulrazaq, whom they described as the authentic leader of the APC in the state.
The senators: Ibrahim Oloriegbe (Kwara Central), Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) and Umar Sadiq (Kwara North), said this at a joint press conference, in Abuja.
They equally maintained that funds generated by the party for the prosecution of the 2019 elections were fully accounted for.
The legislators said the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was not speaking the minds of the party members when he said Kwara State, under the current administration had “entered one-chance.”
The lawmakers also explained that the revalidation of membership registration would soon start to enable those who had yet to register, do so before the state party’s congress.
The senators said they were already intervening in the political differences between AbdulRazaq and Mohammed with a view to sustaining the harmonious relationship among all members of the APC in the state.
Ashiru said, “Our meeting here is to assure you that Kwara, under the leadership of Governor Abdulrazaq is doing extremely very well in terms of development both physical and urban development.
“We want to assure you that the issue at hand, we don’t want to escalate it because is totally centred on what happened two years ago. We feel we have passed that milestone. We are in a new era.
“A very good era, an era where the slogan of ‘Otoge’ was orchestrated and we are happy that today, we have a new revolution in Kwara.”
Also, Senator Oloriegbe said, “We are very focused on this programme (Otoge) and what it means.
“As senators, we are working harmoniously with the governor. We want to bring everybody together.
The lawmaker also explained that the revalidation of membership registration of the party on in the state would commence on July 24.
Party to report minister to Buhari, threatens sanctions
Meanwhile, the crisis rocking the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, has so far shown no sign of abating.
Supporters of the Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, on Wednesday, threatened punitive measures against the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
This is even as the party leadership is said to be preparing to “notify’’ the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), about the development.
A leading member of the party who spoke to The PUNCH, on condition of anonymity so as not “to jeopadise the peace process,’ said, ‘We have been prevailing on the governor to exercise restraint in the overall interest of the party but unfortunately, the minister and his supporters have been uncooperative.”
However, the Chairman of the APC faction loyal to the minister, Bashir Bolarinwa, said those casting aspersions on the minister were persons who did not mean well for the APC in Kwara State.
Bolarinwa spoke in response to a threat by the Kwara State APC Caretaker Committee chairman, Abdullahi Samari, to sanction the minister.
The caretaker committee chairman, who spoke to reporters in Abuja, on Wednesday, said the party would not hesitate to wield the big stick should the minister and his supporters fail to fall in line.
Samari said, “I still see the minister as a member of our party. Because he has not formally told us that he is moving out of the party which I doubt if he will go. He is a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where the APC as a ruling party is running the administration of government.
“If we feel that what he said publicly amounts to disrespect or causing acrimony within the party, honestly, we are going to make sure the rules of the party are applied against him and any other person.”
In response to a specific question about whether there were plans to suspend the minister, he said, “If the offense is commensurate with suspending him, or any other, definitely the rule of the party is going to apply because nobody is too big to be sanctioned. We want to have sanity in the party.”
Bolarinwa, dismissed the threats.
He said, “By the Constitution of the APC, I Bashir Bolarinwa still remains the authentic chairman of the APC in Kwara State, if they respect the constitution of the APC, there is no way anyone will refer to Samari as chairman.
“He claims the extension of the registration exercise was based on his request, did he do the same for Ogun, Rivers and Imo State? This is to tell you the calibre of people the governor has surrounded himself with.
“Let me tell you, Samari is not in any position to impose sanction on the Honourable minister or any party member for that matter.”