Kwara APC sets agenda for Oshiomhole

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has decried what it called a situation of many members working in the state and a few others sitting idly in Abuja but angling for the control of the party structure.

In a statement on Monday by its spokesperson, Sulyman Buhari, the chapter said many wrongs were bedevilling the party and asked the newly elected national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, and his team to quickly set in motion machinery to put things right “without fear or favour.”

According to the statement, there was an “urgent need to restore APC to the default setting of sanity, supremacy and constitutionalism. ”

“A situation where monkeys will be toiling day and night at the grassroots mobilising for the party but some ‘baboons’ will be sitting arrogantly in Abuja without lifting a finger and yet dragging party structure with genuine party members should be done with already.”

There are fissures in the APC in Kwara as in many other states across the country.

In the state, the party is divided into two factions, one loyal to Senate president Bukola Saraki, and the other to Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

The factions held parallel congresses in the runup to the national convention but the national leadership eventually recognised the processes involving Mr Saraki’s faction, which had moved into the APC as the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party.

The state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and the national spokesperson of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, are both loyalists of Mr Saraki, who is facing trial for alleged false declaration of asset and was recently linked alongside Mr Ahmed to a deadly robbery incident in Offa in the southern district of the state.

A leader of the nPDP, who is also from Kwara State, Kawu Baraje, on Sunday issued a statement that the bloc would this week announce its decision following negotiation the bloc called for with the national leadership of the party after complaining of sidelining of its members in the party and federal government.

In the statement on Monday, the state chapter of the APC said the conduct of the national convention and the drama before, during and after the elections raised dust which the party’s leadership must quickly remedy so that that the future of APC would be guaranteed.

“Finally, we reiterate that the Comrade Adams Oshiomole-led APC is coming at a time of a lot of storm in the party which if not properly handed, and quickly, might affect the chances of the party in the next polls.”

It, however, congratulated both the former and new national leadership of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other leaders who ensured a hitch-free convention of the party.

“We congratulate particularly Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the Publicity Secretary-elect. His re-election by an overwhelming majority of our party members across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja is a testimony to his competence, doggedness and astuteness as our party’s spokesperson.

“We urge the winners to be magnanimous in victory. They should embrace and accommodate their co-contestants in the scheme of things, as we all move forward towards nation building,” it stated.

Also, a group of APC members, led by Bashiru Bolarinwa has congratulated Oshiomhole, pledging support for his reformation agenda.

Describing Mr Oshiomhole election as a call to cleanse and reposition the party to answer its name as a true progressive party, it added that, “The new chairman who understands the problem rocking the party over time, while making his acceptance speech displayed sufficient knowledge of our problem and spoke to it.

“Oshiomhole emphasised the need for internal democracy within the party and commitment from all members of the party. He was very clear when he said that the crisis in some state chapters of the party will be addressed and a win-win status will be achieved, saying it is time to do away with arrogance.”