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Crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) kwara state chapter may not dwindled soon as it took new dimension on Thursday 8th of July, 2021 when the two factional groups threatened to suspend the Minister and Governor from the party.
The elders caucus of the party in the state during a press briefing held at the NUJ press center called for immediate suspension of the minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed as a member of the party for his alleged factionalization of the party, and other allegations leveled against him.
The party leaders and elders who spoke with journalists in Ilorin called for Alhaji Mohammed’s removal as a minister from the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari, said “for he is no longer fit to represent the interest of people of Kwara state”.
In another press briefing on the same day, some chieftains of the APC in Kwara state loyal to the minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, threatened to suspend Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for alleged anti-party activities.
The spokesperson of the group who is also the factional state legal adviser of the party’s caretaker committee, Barrister Oladimeji Mustapha, advised Governor Abdulrazaq to desist from alleged listed anti party activities, threatening that the party may have no option than to apply the provisions of Article 21 of the APC Constitution on him.
Some of the members of the Kwara APC elders caucus, who spoke with journalists include Elder Wole Oke, Barrister Kunle Sulaiman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, Alhaji Abdulmumeen Katibi, Chief Titus Ashaolu SAN, Senator Simeon Ajibola, Senator Mohammed Ahmed, among others.
“Action of Alhaji Lai Mohammed has clearly shown to everyone that the intra party crisis that has bedevilled our party in Kwara state was not precipitated by the erstwhile chairman of the party, Alhaji Bashir Bolarinwa. Bolarinwa was just a tool in the hands of Alhaji Lai to destroy the APC in Kwara state.
“The question to be asked is whether the new secretariat unveiled by Alhaji Lai Mohammed is for their new party called the Third Force or for the APC. This is because it was the same set of people who declared that they have defected to Third Force and burnt brooms were the same set of people who gathered at Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s so called on APC secretariat”
“The enstranged relationship between him and the governor, who by the party’s constitution , is the leader of the party in the state, is most uncalled for. His continuing encouragement and support for factionalization of the party is divisive and disruptive to the party. It is anti-party. He cannot contest the leadership of the party with the governor”
“We, therefore, call for the immediate suspension of Alhaji Lai Mohammed as a member of the APC in Kwara state for his actions. We also call for his removal as a minister from the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari for he his no longer fit to represent the interest of people of Kwara state”.
Also, the factional state legal adviser of the APC, Barrister Oladimeji Mustapha, accused Governor Abdulrazaq of running affairs of the state only with his family members and a few people, “to the exclusion of the party and the people whose sweat and blood produced his electoral victory in 2019”
“Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s cup of injustice to party members and his anti-party activities are overflowing and has reached an anticlimax that has turned the party to rags and tatters. Below is the catalogue of a few charges; He factionalized the party by floating a group called AA. He tricked the party state executives, after several failed attempts to a parley at Kwara hotel which was masterminded by him to remove the state chairman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa”
“He sponsored assault and battery on party leaders and members at a meeting, organised by the Registration Committee at State Banquet Hall, Ilorin. He aided and abated one Mall. Abdullahi Sanmari to impersonate the position and functions of the State’s Caretaker Chairman of the Party”
“This, Sanmari Abdullahi who is without lawful authority, has been making inflammatory statements to embarrass Alh. Lai Mohammed, who in collaboration with other leaders, led the party to victory that we all celebrate today”
“In the light of the above, we hereby advise Mall. Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq to desist from this anti party, otherwise, the party may have no option than to apply the provisions of Article 21 of the APC Constitution on him”
“We would not hesitate to keep the public posted as we make progress on the disciplinary exercise”.
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