Kwara APC Crisis: State Party Exco Members Reject Bolarinwa’s Removal

Kwara APC Crisis: State Party  Exco Members Reject Bolarinwa’s Removal

By Hammed Shittu

As the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in Kwara state chapter continues unabated, members of the state executive caretaker committee of the party Monday rejected the purported removal of the state chairman, Hon.Bashr Omolaja Bolarinwa.

The party state executive committee members said that, “the ruling APC that prides itself as respecters of the rule of law should be expected to ensure that due diligence and respect of Constitution is carried out in dealing with all party affairs so as to move the party forward.”

The crisis in the party started recently following the purported removal of Hon. Bolarinwa and his replacement with the state deputy chairman of the party, Alhaji Sanmari Abdullahi.

The crisis however fractured the party, leading to the emegernce of two major party elders’ grous.

Speaking at a press conference in Ilorin on Monday, the spokesperson of the group and the state vice chairman of the caretaker committee of the party, Chief Sunday Oyebiyi opined that, “It is unfortunate that the national body of our party will rely on any purported suspension as contained in the appointment letter of Alhaji Sanmari Abdullahi as the acting chairman of our party in Kwara state as displayed in social media.”

He said “neither the chairman, Hon. Bolarinwa saw the petition not to talk of defending himself, if there was any, because it is trite that anybody alleged must enjoy the right of defending himself”.

He said that, “the decision to embark on this unlawful route is said to be based on a purported suspension of Hon. Bolarinwa by the state’s erstwhile executive council .

“This is at best a wicked concocment and nothing can be farther from the truth. As the erstwhile executive council, we are not aware of any wrong doing that would have warranted any enquiry let alone investigation and a far reaching decision of suspending Hon.Bolarinwa as the state chairman.

“Hon.Bolarinwa presided over our last three state working committee meetings of which all members of the state executive council attended including Alhaji Sanmari Abdullahi on 16th, 30th November, 2020 and on 7th of December, 2020. All records of those meetings are available. Where and when then did any suspension take place when the NEC of our party’s decision was on 8th of December?.

“Even, when we visited the national secretariat of our party in Abuja, we were told that there was no any letter of appointment issued to Alhaji Sanmari Abdullahi as the acting state chairman of our party in Kwara state as being circulated in the social media”.

Oyebiyi added that, “Consequent upon this issue, Hon.Bolarinwa, the erstwhile state chairman was sworn in as state caretaker chairman along with other caretaker chairmen of APC in Abuja on 11th December, 2020.

“On the strength of that derived authority, the state caretaker chairman, Hon. Bolarinwa swore in other caretaker committee members from wards to state on 14th December,2020 at a well attended and carnival-like ceremony.

“Alhaji Sanmari Abdullahi as state caretaker deputy chairman of our party who is purported to replace Hon. Bolarinwa also dutifully took his oath of office alongside other executive council members and returned his signed acknowledgement of the oath of office.

“The rumoured issuance of appointment letter to Alhaji Sanmari Abdullahi as state caretaker chairman was an aberration, travesty of justice and cannot stand at all”.

Oyebiyi therefore said that, “In this respect, we reject any decision replacing Hon. Bolarinwa with Alhaji Abdullahi as the Kwara state APC chairman”.

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