APC’s Unity List Capable of Truncating Democracy, Says Aspirant

.Kwara chapter raises the alarm over fake delegates

Segun James in Lagos and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Barely two days to the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), an aspirant for the position of the National Secretary of the party, Mr. Abdurrahman Terab, has warned against imposition of candidates on the party, saying that the if the purported Unity List is imposed on the party members, it may truncate the election process and internal democracy in the party.

The Kwara State chapter of the party yesterday raised the alarm over the purported plan by some aggrieved members of the party to compile fake list of delegates ahead of the convention.
Terab lamented that “the alleged existence of a unity list meant to be imposed during the convention by a few governors, who have special interest, cannot change anything,” but cause disunity among the ranks of the party.
Terab, a former member of the House of Representatives and Commissioner in Borno State said the alleged unity list was anti- democratic and should be rejected by all lovers of democracy.

“It is natural for people to push for the success of their own interest because, politics is all about interest. There are many other lists flying around; these lists were produced by various interest groups within the party. It should however be noted that the over seven thousand delegates and their principals have agenda they wish to push through during the Saturday convention.

The delegates are very important in this convention; they should be allowed to make their choices from the candidates and not through any preconceived list. I have been talking with various regions and groups and I believe my candidacy has a large support from across the zones and states,” he explained.

On the sour relationship between the executive and legislature at the federal level, Terab promised to bring his enormous experience from the background of working both in the executive and the legislature to bear in the administration of the party so that peace would rain.

The Kwara State chapter of the party has also raised the alarm over the purported plan by some aggrieved members of the party to compile fake list of delegates ahead of the convention.

The last state congress of the party produced Alhaji Isola Balogun Fulani -led executive.

The state congress was attended by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and all the members of the state and national assembly among others.

But another parallel congress was also held, which produced Alhaji Basiru Bolarinwa as the factional state chairman of the party.

But the national working committee of the party has affirmed the congress of the Alhaji Isola Balogun Fulani with other state executive members of the party, thereby making the Alhaji Bolarinwa parallel congress unrecognised by the national working committee of the party.

However, the party in a statement signed by its authentic state Chairman, Alhaji Isola Balogun Fulani yesterday in Ilorin, stated that the party has it on good authority that the decision to compile a fake list of delegates for the convention was reached at a meeting held on Tuesday in the house of a chieftain of the party in GRA, Ilorin.

He added that the party was also aware that another group led by some Abuja-based politicians had procured branded buses and banners, vest and ankara to be used by the fake delegates for the convention.

According to the party, the group has even went to the extent of making accommodation arrangement at Wuse area of Abuja for the fake delegates.

“To show how unpopular they all are, the two groups have been fishing for people on the streets of Ilorin to use as delegates and begging them to follow them to Abuja with a promise that they would be handsomely paid on their returns. As a party, we are not bothered by the evil antics of those three months to elections politicians. But we believe we owe it as a duty to the leadership of our party at the national level to expose the evil machinations of these politicians whose only mission is obviously to disrupt the National Convention in Abuja with multiple delegates list as against the one officially sanctioned by the party,” he said.

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