Why We Unveiled New Kwara APC Secretariat, by Legacy Group

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Some loyalists of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, under the aegis of Kwara Legacy Group at the weekend in Ilorin, Kwara State, exonerated the minister from the circumstances that led to the recent unveiling of a new state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The group, however, said the reasons behind the creation of new party secretariat of the party were due to the expiration of agreement with the landlord of the building that had served as the party secretariat.

The minister was reportedly invited before the national leadership of the party for allegedly opening another party secretariat in Ilorin, the state capital, last Saturday.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the spokesperson of the group, Hon. Kayode Ogunlowo, said: “Following the expiration of the tenancy agreement of the former party state secretariat, there is need to acquire new one to allow the party function in the state.

“We can recall that before the emergence of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as a candidate of our party in 2018, we had a party secretariat that was fully functional, but immediately Abdulrazaq became the governor, he rented a three-bedroom apartment at Tanke Iledu and tagged it the state secretariat of the party. What a leader?

“After the expiration of our agreement with our landlord, the party structure was left without a party secretariat which informed the party executive led by Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa to acquire a befitting party secretariat that was unveiled by the minister last week.”

The Kwara Legacy Group also accused the governor of being responsible for the recent development in the party by his alleged deliberate action to polarise the party in the state, saying the governor created a political group called the AA forum to allegedly factionalise the party in the state.

While thanking President Muhammadu Buhari and the minister for their efforts in ensuring the victory of the party, Ogunlowo alleged that the lingering crisis in the party was part of the premeditated plan of the governor to create another dynasty in the state.

While stating their readiness for reconciliation, the group, however, said: “It is saddening that one Samari, who claims to be the caretaker chairman of the party could accuse Mohammed of factionalising the party when it is a known fact that it was his sponsor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, that abandoned the party for his forum called AA.”

He, therefore, called on the members of the party in the state not to be distracted by the antics of the AA group, saying they should be prepared to come out for the party registration exercise that would soon commence in the state.