By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin.
A group, Concerned All Progressives Congress Youth Stakeholders, in Kwara state Thursday threatened to disrupt the forthcoming party membership registration exercise if what it called the illegal removal of Hon.Bashr Omolaja Bolarinwa as chairman of the caretaker commitee of the party was not reversed with immediate effect.
The APC youths, who described the purported removal as illegal and undemocratic, called on the national caretaker committee of the party, led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state, to rescind the decision in the interest of the party in the state.
Bolarinwa was removed from office by the national caretaker committee and replaced by his deputy, Alhaji Samari Abdullahi.
Since then, disquiet has continued to trail the removal as some leaders of the faction of the party led by Hon.Iyiola Oyedepo have kicked against the removal of Bolarinwa.
The Concerned APC Youth stakeholders in the state at a press conference in Ilorin on Thursday said that, ‘It is sad that we are at the verge of deviation from our long walk to a politically free Kwara and an highway leading to progress and now we are on a journey to the direction of an abyss of anarchy.
“it is disheartening that Hon.Bolarinwa was removed from office without any issuance of letter of query but was done with a connivance of a single individual based on self ambition”.
The spokesperson of the group, Mr. Ahmed Ishowo, who was flanked by other youth leaders from Kwara south, Mr. Olawale Adegboye; Kwara north, Mr. Adamu Abdullahi, and hundreds of youths across the three senatorial districts of the state, stated that, the alleged removal of Bolarinwa was a move to return the state to dark days of political impostor”.
The APC youth said that suspension and subsequent removal of Bolarinwa from office on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, was without any prior properly instituted allegation in accordance with the party’s Constitution against him, adding that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who allegedly claimed he could not work with Bolarinwa, recently affirmed his chairmanship of the party.
They stressed that, “We wish to let the whole nation know that we find ourselves in a situation where the “soul of our collective struggle”, which was proudly christened as ” O TO GE” (Enough is Enough) is being sacrificed in the most machevillan manner on the Altar of Politics of selfish interest and desire for more power by a handful few individuals and their collaborators in the corridors of power”..
They said, “Awaken to the unfathomable news that Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, who was inaugurated and sworn into office as Caretaker Chairman of Kwara State State chapter of All Progressives Congress on 11th December, 2020, has been suspended and subsequently removed from office on 13th January 2021, without any prior properly instituted allegation in accordance to our party’s Constitution against him to our common knowledge.
“Even the Governor of Kwara State who allegedly claimed he cannot work with Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa recently affirmed his chairmanship of the party, after one of the several botched attempts to desperately oust him failed.
” I hope you did not forget that Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa was appointed into this very position by a resolution of the National Executive Council of the APC.
“It is quite interesting to note that the very council was Headed by President Muhammadu Buhari who was present physically when all the deliberations and decisions were being made. We wish to also remind you that as one of the highpoints of the meeting, it was unanimously agreed that all dissolved State Executive Councils at State levels, should be returned in Caretaker capacities in order to administer the affairs of the party and prepare the grounds for the party’s next convention where a new leadership will be installed.
“We had hoped and expected every politician of conscience worth his or her onions will play by the rules to ensure a popular party leadership is installed at the conventions.
” We are however estranged when another letter surfaced on social media purportedly appointing Hon. Abdullahi Samari as Kwara APC Caretaker Chairman, allegedly because “Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq claimed he is not comfortable working with Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa”, which resulted in his governor colleagues using an unknown North Central veto to flagrantly rubbish the resolutions of the National Executive Council of the APC, and in fact nullify as it were, the decision of the NEC, which consists of President Muhammadu Buhari”.
They however said that, “we want the national caretaker committee of APC to know that the forthcoming membership registration will not take place in Kwara state until they rescind its decision over the illegal removal of Hon Bolarinwa as the state caretaker chairman of APC”.
The youths also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the issue before the state is set on fire .
