By Bashir Adefaka
The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC has dissolved the Kwara State executive committee of the party, citing electoral malfeasance in the last ward, local and state congresses.
The sack has spelt a serious political setback for Saraki’s stronghold of Kwara being, we learned, a response to the double agent activities engaged in by loyalists of the Senate President who have occupied the state exco since its inauguration by former national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, following the last congresses.
APC adduced reason for its action saying, “The National Working Committee (NWC) at its meeting of 30th July, 2018 examined the unfolding developments within the party in Kwara state, specifically the irregularities that characterized the conduct and outcome of the congresses that produced the leadership of the party at all levels (Ward, local government and state).”
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had at the weekend reportedly asked party officials loyal to Senate President Bukola Saraki to resign their appointments and announced Bashir Bolarinwa as the new state chairman of the party.
The NWC has now asked Mr Bolarinwa to assume office “with immediate effect”.
Consequently, at the end of the NWC meeting Monday evening in Abuja, National Chairman of the Party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the National Secretary of the party, Mai Mala Buni in a statement, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER on Monday, said the NWC also reviewed the actions of some leaders of the party that emerged from the now turned down congresses who participated in an open rally calling on the Senate President to decamp to the PDP.
The party said after a careful and exhaustive deliberation on this and other developments in the state chapter of the party and pursuant to the provisions of Article 13.4 (xvi) and (xvii) of the Party’s constitution invoked its power as enshrined therein.
It therefore resolved “to dissolve all party organs from Ward, Local Government and State Executive of the Party in Kwara state; to constituency caretaker committee at all levels of the party of the party organ at Ward, Local Government and State Executive Committees of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara state.
“That Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa shall and is hereby appointed as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the State Executive Committee of APC in Kwara State”.
By the latest development, it may have become clear that the APC has shown to Senate President Bukola Saraki its acceptance of his long dragged defection which many said has been coming in kind of body language.
It would be recalled that Saraki’s Chief of Staff, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, dumping of APC and all Saraki’s loyalists in both Senate and House of Representatives defecting from APC to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had received the Senate President’s blessing.
The DEFENDER had reported weekend that Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara were delaying their formal defections to PDP in order to protect their positions and then to cause huge impact to the detriment of the APC when they will eventually move.
Many genuine APC senators had called on the Senate President to speak out on his new party and resign his position or “we sack him”.
The sacking of the Saraki’s loyalists from the Kwara State executive committee of APC may have been the beginning of what the Party has ahead for the Senate President, who only last Thursday was exposed by Senator Abu Ibrahim to be plotting along with Dogara to impeach President Buhari that Thursday.
Saraki has been touted by some of his supporters as “using brain while Buhari is using force”.
However, a Lagos economist, Mr. Wale Ogunyemi, speaking on behalf of some concerned citizens Monday night said, “Whoever sees Saraki’s dilly-dallying style drawing back the hands of clock of Nigeria by his personal ambition as using brain is only praising the Senate President to his own political death.”
See the full statement as sent to The DEFENDER titled: Dissolution of Kwara State Executive Committee below:
