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2023: Youth group wants SDP zone governorship ticket to Kwara North

By Abiodun Esan

Governorship

Ilorin, April 20, 2022 (NAN) A coalition of youths and women on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from Kwara North has called on the leadership of the party to zone the governorship ticket to the zone.

The youths, under the aegis of the voice of Kwara North movement against inequity, injustice, and unfairness in politics of Kwara since 1999, made the appeal on Wednesday in Ilorin at a news conference.

Mr Mustapha Mohammed, who read the text of the conference, said the zone has been marginalised from becoming governor of the state since 1999.

“Therefore, we, the youths and women of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) hereby pray the leadership and entire members of our great party to approach this coming election with sincerity and not discount Kwara North at this most auspicious time.

“If we are truly Democrats, which I believe we are, we must work to ensure a Kwara Northerner emerges as the gubernatorial candidate in the coming 2023 elections under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform.

“This should be taken seriously by the party leadership; Kwara Northerners have long come together and are determined not to support any other zone in the race for the governorship seat this time.

“Any Northerner clamouring for a candidate outside Kwara North is doing so as a money-making venture that will not translate to electoral votes comes 2023.

“Our people’s position is quite simple: if the party fails to pick a governorship candidate from Kwara North, we might as well kiss their votes ‘goodbye’.

“The Social Democratic Party (SDP) is known for social justice, and the majority of her members in Kwara State have also stood against injustice by fighting past hegemonic dominance.

“As such, this must be re-echoed in the current political discourse in the SDP, if the party must win the gubernatorial election come 2023,” Mohammed said.

They said that there cannot be any meaningful state-wide development if there was a prevalence of injustice amongst the people of a state.

Mohammed said there were politicians in Kwara North who were capable, competent, intelligent and intellectually vibrant.

“There are technocrats and politicians in Kwara North that are men of integrity, who have also made remarkable achievements in their chosen careers. Politically, Kwara North is a powerhouse of no mean repute.

“The senatorial district had the second highest votes cast in the 2019 election results (34 per cent); Kwara Central about (39 per cent) while Kwara South (27 per cent),” he added.

According to him, any argument in favour of the Kwara Central factor was a fallacy as incumbency will only serve to further split the vote of Kwara Central more than that of Kwara North, which he said has SDP in the majority.

“The people of Kwara North are fully prepared to bring more votes than ever if given the gubernatorial ticket under the platform of SDP.

“This is evident as we, the major politically grass-rooted youths with our structures had left APC for SDP.

“The prior dominance of power in the Central was similarly adduced in 2019 for giving the gubernatorial ticket to the Central under the APC.

“But it later became apparent that the ‘Otoge’ wind of change would have produced the same effect if the candidate was from the North as the electorate of Kwara Central are not or capable of making good political judgments, but also abhor injustice in whatever form,” he said.

Mohammed declared that if the SDP failed to take the ticket to Kwara North, it would be an indication of the continuous marginalisation of Kwara Northerners.

He said that if this was the case, members of the party from the zone and their supporters would have no option but to leave the party for a better option, adding “that will signify the death of SDP in the zone. God forbids”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that placards carrying youths and women besieged the SPD secretariat, the venue of the news conference calling on the state executive of the party to zone the governorship slot to Kwara North. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

ESAN/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman

Primaries: INEC warns political parties against breaches

By Abiodun Esan

Primaries

Ilorin, April 13, 2022 (NAN) The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara, Malam Garba Madami, has warned political parties against conducting their primary elections outside designated constituencies.

The REC gave the warning on Wednesday in Ilorin at a stakeholders’ meeting with political parties, INEC Electoral Officers in the 16 local government areas and Commissioner of Police.

“As required by law, the Commission shall monitor the primaries of each political party that provides the required legal notice in line with Sections 82 (1) and (5) of the Electoral Act.

“Failure of a political party to notify the Commission of any convention or congress convened for the purpose of nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified in the Act shall render the convention or congress invalid,” Madami said.

He added that primaries must be conducted in the various constituencies as provided in Section 84 of the Electoral Act.

According to the REC, it is a violation of the law to conduct primaries outside the constituencies for which parties are nominating candidates.

Madami declared that the commission would not monitor such primaries conducted outside the constituency, and their outcome will not be accepted.

“Political parties are enjoined to avoid acrimonious primaries that could result in unnecessary litigations that may lead to failure to nominate, and field candidates for elections in some constituencies,” he advised.

The REC therefore enjoined political parties to adhere strictly to the principles of internal democracy drawn from their constitutions, guidelines, the Electoral Act, and other guidelines and regulations issued by INEC.

“Where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of the Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidates shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue,” the REC said.

He however commended political parties in Kwara for their cooperation  and assured them that the commission was ready to conduct peaceful, fair and acceptable elections in 2023.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders’ meeting was attended by representatives of 11 political parties, electoral officers and the Commissioner of Police in Kwara. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

ESAN/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Kwara: Aggrieved APC members defect to SDP

By Abiodun Esan

Defection
Ilorin, April 2, 2022 (NAN) Aggrieved members of the factional All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara have defected to the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the News  Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The defectors are loyal supporters of the two serving ministers from the state, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, as well as Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, the Minister of State for Transportation,  among other APC cheiftains in the state.

Mr Rasak Alabi, the Kwara South Senatorial Chairman of factional APC Loyal group, announced their defection to the SDP on Saturday in Ilorin at a news conference attended by members from the 16 local government areas of the state.

Alabi said: “Consequent upon the wishes of our numerous supporters and the majority of Kwarans, we announce to you today the official defection and mass movement of supporters and party members from the APC to the SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (SDP).

“Seated here with us are the 193 ward chairmen, 16 local governments chairmen, and all the working committee members who have jointly decided with our numerous supporters, to announce o you today our defection to the SDP.”

The spokesman of defectors thanked the people of Kwara for their courage and faith in the covenant with the APC loyal.

“In the past few months, Kwarans have become agitated about our continued stay in the party. This indeed is the beauty of democracy.

“Politics is a noble undertaking and a vehicle to serve the interest of the public and improve their lives.

“The delay in our response has been a product of a rather long and far-reaching consultations and dialogue with the majority of our leaders, elders and supporters across the state.

“Gentlemen, if the national leadership of the party does not believe that we are politically relevant in the state, we need to make them understand also that the man they queued behind is also a blown-out fuse not capable of leading the party to any victory in the state come 2023.

“This is a man that got to power through our collective efforts and the support of Kwarans and not his,’ he declared.

Alabi described Gov AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a poor manager of victory despite the fact that he was imposed on the party.

“Out of the four tendencies that coalesced to bring him to power, his was the weakest.

“The other three only decided to forgo their personal interests and ambition so that the party would win the 2019 general elections.

“If the primary election that was rigged in his favour was allowed to run its full course, he would have performed woefully.

“He is one man without political clout; a hit and run politician who only appears every election year and disappears without notice because of his poor understanding of politics.

“Even in running the affairs of his administration, the governor never demonstrated that he either knows his job or the enormity of his assignment considering the colour and quality of his cabinet.

“He has personalised governance and reduced it by promoting mediocrity over merit,” Alabi claimed.

He said that the governor refused to consult with party leaders and elders, like the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki; Alhaji Hakeen Lawal; Alhaji Lukman Mustapha; Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, in the affairs of both the party and governance.

“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is really not pride to the APC.

“His governance model is nothing to write about when compared to the successes achieved in other APC states considering the quantum of financial resources at his disposal since he assumed office.

“Because of his limitations, the Governor is never comfortable in the midst of educated and competent people. That precisely explains his desire to deregister credible people from the party,” Alabi added.

According to him, the present party structure headed by the governor’s crony has helped in alienating thousands of members and prospective members because they did not allow for the revalidation of existing members.

This procedure, Alabi said, was an abuse of the extant rules of the party, adding that all they have succeeded in doing is to consider their members as no longer partners in the affairs of the party.

“Of major concern is that while the governor rebuffed all entreaties by our elders for an amicable solution of the crisis, the then National Caretaker Committee of the party under the leadership of the Governor of Yobe State, Mallam Mai Mala Buni, made matters worse.

“Despite series of communication between us and the national leadership of the party and the visitations made, it was a thing of regret that the national leadership neglected every bit of our complaints.

“On his part, the then-Senator Abdullahi Adamu (now the party’s national chairman), National Reconciliation Committee that was then hurriedly put in place to resolve the Kwara APC crisis did not also do a thorough job; instead came up with a conclusion that it has reconciled all warring parties in the state.”

Alabi said that by inference, the governor must have come into the state political arena with a well-scripted mindset, and added that his disrespect for the party did not start today.

“Conventionally, he is the leader of the party in the state, but that does not make him trample on democratic principles which the party represents.

“In less than two months into his administration, he started embarking on inexplicable desire to remove the party chairman and thereby demolishing the vehicle on which he rode to power,” he added.

Receiving the defected APC members, Amb. Rufus Aujenigba, SDP National Publicity Secretary, said he was happy to be in Kwara to receive the defectors because Kwara was his second home.

Aujenigba said he did not envy those in the APC, but have sympathy for them for allowing the multitude to leave the party.

He assured the new members that SDP would treat them as equal members, adding that they will also be allowed to actualise their political dreams.

Aujenigba described SDP as the best alternative party that would restore the lost glory of the country.

NAN also reports that the high point of the defection was the burning of brooms, the APC symbol, and the flag.

The secretariat of the APC loyal located on Reservation Road, GRA Ilorin, is now the state secretariat of the SDP.

The ruling APC and the State Government are yet to react to the development. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
ESAN/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Crisis
By Abiodun Esan
Ilorin, Jan. 27, 2021 (NAN) A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, has disclosed that the letter purportedly issued to Alhaji Ibrahim Samari replacing Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa as state chairman of the party was given in error.

Oyedepo made this known in Ilorin on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said APC leaders from both feuding factions in the state had met in Abuja with the Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum and governor of Niger, Sani Bello, who was appointed by the National Secretariat of the party to resolve the crisis.

Oyedepo said the Abuja meeting, which had in attendance Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, did not affirm anyone as chairman of the party in the state.

He said: “I was there at that meeting, the truth is that nobody was affirmed, nobody talked about affirmation.

“So we are left to now interpret, but I will want to tell you graphically what happened so that when people make interpretations, you will know the one to believe.

“When we got there, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who was leading one group was talking about the unconstitutionality of the removal of Bolarinwa.

“As he was speaking, the person who headed the panel that purportedly removed Bolarinwa, His Excellency, Gov. Bello, intervened.

“The man(Bello) said that if the National Secretariat had issued a letter to any person, it must have been in error because they had set up a committee in the North Central Zone.

“ He said the committee had not completed its assignment and that he had told other members of that committee which was made up of chairmen of the party from that zone to go and interact with Bolarinwa.

“They were suggesting that they would in their report ask them to ease out Bolarinwa provided he agreed to take a cabinet appointment from the governor and the governor told us that the people didn’t do that.

“They didn’t even tell Bolarinwa anything and they didn’t go back to him as the chairman before they now gave the report to the National Secretariat and the National Secretariat also believed in that report and gave Samari a letter.

” He therefore concluded that the letter cannot be relied on, that the report cannot be relied on, the report which was the source of the letter to Samari cannot be relied on.

“He now pleaded: since this is my zone, let me go back to see the two groups and work for reconciliation and I will come back to you, that was what happened inside that meeting.

“So, from what happened inside, if Samari was holding a letter or still holding a letter, the chairman of the committee set up at that level disowned the report, so what will be the basis of saying I’m holding an authentic letter?

“We all knew through Bello’s contribution at that Abuja meeting that the letter was issued in error, but it has not been withdrawn.

“So when you see Samari now going for one meeting or the other, if the letter is not withdrawn and communicated to various segments of the party, he will be showing the letter in order to enter any meeting.

” That is where we are now and that’s the truth about the whole thing.”

Oyedepo, one of the leaders of the Otege movement which led to the victory of the APC in the last governorship election, called for equity and justice in resolving the party’s crisis in the state.

” The way forward is for the National secretariat of this party to be courageous enough to take a truthful and  decisive decision on this matter.

” No other thing can work except they take the most judicious decision on this matter not minding whose ox is gored.

” But in a situation that we illegally remove one person for the other it cannot heal any injury, it cannot and there’s no point deceiving anybody,” he said. (NAN)
ESAN/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Chairman
By Abiodun Esan
Ilorin, Jan. 26, 2021 (NAN) The Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara has rejected the purported replacement of Bashir Bolarinwa with his deputy, Abdullahi Samari, as chairman by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

The caretaker committee made this known in Ilorin while addressing newsmen.

The Vice Chairman of the committee, Theophilous Oyebiyi, who read the address, said the alleged letter of appointment being paraded by Samari on the social media did not emanate from the national headquarters of APC.

He said: “Hon. Bolarinwa, who led the party to 100 percent victory in the last general elections, deserves to be celebrated and greatly rewarded.

“He remains our state chairman. All of us had the equanimity of mind and character to work together for victory at that time, why not now?

“The decision to embark on this unlawful route is said to be based on a purported suspension of Hon. Bolarinwa by the state erstwhile executive.

“As erstwhile executive, we are not aware of any wrongdoing 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 working committee meetings in which all members attended on 16th and 30th November 2020 and December 7th, 2020.

“All records of those meetings are available. Where and when did the suspension take place when NEC decision was on 8th December?

“It is unfortunate that the national body of our party will rely on any purported suspension as contained in Samari’s letter displayed in the social media and either did Hon. Bolarinwa see the petition, not to talk of defending himself if there was any.

“As progressives and members of a party that prides itself as respecter of the rule of law, it should be expected that we carry out due diligence at all times, respect our constitution, follow our rules and be above board in dealing with all our party’s affairs.” (NAN)
ESAN/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Crisis
By Abiodun Esan
Ilorin, Jan. 24, 2021 (NAN) A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara, Dr Rex Olawoye, says any attempt to resolve the party’s crisis in the state without resort to the constitution and the resolution of the  National Executive Committee will fail.

Olawoye said this on Sunday in Ilorin while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on how to resolve the APC crisis in the state.

NAN reports that the national body of the party had referred the matter to the North Central Zone executives for settlement.

“I do not know the method the North Central Zone executive of the party wants to use to resolve the issue.

“One thing that is sure is that whatever method that does not follow the constitution and the resolution of NEC is null and void.

“So if Gov. Sani Bello of Niger  wants peace, he should go by the truth, you go for absolute truth, nothing but the truth and he should be blunt about it,” Olawoye added.

He said referring the matter to the North Central Zone of the party was a “political gimmick.”

“We are talking about NEC, you are talking about North Central. How many of us are members of North Central?

” What is happening is that they know that it will not work,” he said.

Olawoye urged the NEC of APC to appeal to Gov AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq ” to let the sleeping dogs lie.”

“It is the National Executive Council of the party that can resolve this crisis. I have not seen where people in that hierarchy of the party would say one word and swallow it the second day.

” They would resolve and get a resolution and somebody that is supposed to execute that resolution would turn it upside down and they are looking at him.

“That person ought to be fired from the party because that is the highest order of disobedience.

“Discipline is one of the things that is killing this party,” Olawoye said.

The APC chieftain also identified leadership tussles as one of the causes of frictions in the party.

He described as abnormal the idea of governors dominating the party’s structure.

“To me, I find it abnormal for Government House to dominate the party’s structure as this  appears unreasonable.

“It is abnormal for somebody you pick to represent you in a position and that person comes back and becomes your boss. It looks absurd and very illogical,” Olawoye said.

He said for internal democracy to reign supreme in the party, the constitution must be respected.

Olawoye called for the amendment of the party’s constitution to make the chairman the leader of the party and not governors.

“The major problem we have emanated from the inappropriateness of the party’s constitution.

” Until the constitution is amended accordingly, we would continue to have this problem over and over again.

“ We have people fighting for the leadership of the party, some people will say because he is holding the highest office in that state, he is the leader of the party in the state.

“ The governor is the leader of the party; it is this terrible confusion that gives room for that kind of discrepancy.

” Usually, the party’s chairman is number one in the state and he is the leader of the party in the state.

” In a meeting, before the governor comes in, the governor has to take excuse to come in or they can ask
him to go back. The discipline was there then.

“That is why we are having party squabbles all over the states.

“We are talking of Kwara because you are here, when you look at other states, it is the same because they don’t want to agree that those who put them in the position are their bosses.

“I have always told the governor that we should not embark on a project that we may not be able to finish, a project that may consume us.

” I told him one on one,” he added. (NAN)
ESAN/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

APC
By Abiodun Esan
Ilorin, Jan. 24, 2021 (NAN) A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara, Dr Rex Olawoye, on Sunday said he warned Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of an imminent crisis in the state chapter of the party.

Olawoye, a pharmacist, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin that he had often offered his advice to the governor whenever it was sought and had warned him ahead of the current crisis in the party.

NAN reports that the intra-party crisis in the state chapter of the APC came to a head with the purported removal of Bashir Bolarinwa as Chairman of the party in the state and his replacement with his deputy, Abdullahi Samari.

According to Olawoye, he had warned AbdulRazaq as far back as 2019 about the antics of a group called AA said to be loyal to the governor and creating tension in the party.

“I had seen him before this crisis and I had been giving him my advice and I will not give him anything extra other than that.

“I warned him that he should not to attempt to put up another political structure other than the APC structure we have on the ground.

“I told him that he has all the weapons to use in  that APC structure to get all he wants.

“I said that you are the only person God has given all the weapons to lead Kwara State, to fuse us together and if you fuse us together, I cannot not see any force stronger than that.

” The Lord God is there. We spoke together and I told him this.

“I said this AA thing I am hearing, why sir? He said he was not the one that established them, but that he found out that the people involved said they were working for him.

“I warned him that this AA thing that he embarked on, he may not be able to finish it, that I hope that the project will not consume us.

“The second time I met him, I warned him that this AA project is making life more difficult for us to roll into his  second tenure.

“I even told him that we are getting to a point that this AA of a thing is getting embarrassing.

“I warned him against all these one on one. The governor has been very respectful to me and I have no reason whatsoever to deceive him, but to tell him what I think would make him to succeed.

” I cannot do otherwise to anybody,” Olawoye said.

The APC chieftain also said some of the AA members had started usurping the functions of constitutionally elected officials at the ward level.

“I told the governor that some of the people that call themselves AA are going to each ward to remove constitutionally elected party officials and put themselves there.

“They now said if there is any money for the ward, it is now the man from AA that will pick the money and not the elected ward chairman. I said that is not the way to go.

“I told him that there is nobody in a position of authority that doesn’t have his own value,” he said.

Olawoye added that he advised the governor to call the leaders of both AA and APC together and tell AA members to stop interfering in the affairs of the APC.

“I advised him to direct people in AA to function only as his vanguard and let APC officials perform their functions,” he said.

Olawoye, who described the governor as quiet person, also said that he has his own style and personal vision for the state.

“ If there had not been some people behind him, he would have been able to see reason with other people’s views.

“There is no way a single individual can carry the burden of this state, there is no way he can make it.

“Bolarinwa  did not say he cannot work with the governor, it is the governor that said he cannot work with Bolarinwa.

“When I see that the end result will not be good, sometimes I intervene. I will tell the governor I want to see him and he will give me opportunity and I will tell him my views,” Olawoye said.

He, however, called on all members of the APC to embrace dialogue in order to resolve the crisis.

Olawoye added that it was not too late for the governor to resolve the crisis. (NAN)
ESAN/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Chairman
By Abiodun Esan
Ilorin, Jan.15, 2021 (NAN) A group, Concerned Youth stakeholders of APC Kwara Chapter, has rejected the removal of Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa as the caretaker chairman of the party in the state.

The group, at a press briefing in Ilorin, said it would explore all options to fight the injustice perpetrated by some people in the party.

“We emphatically state that we are sad and uncomfortable with the turn of events in Kwara State Chapter of our party, All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The recent developments in Kwara APC, sad as it is, is returning Kwara to the bad old days of naked wielding of political power by few privileged to overrun the wishful will of the people, more so in a party that prides itself as a progressive party.

“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 convention.

“We are, however, estrange 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,” Ishowo Yakub, spokesman of the group, said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 15 members of the group attended the press conference.

They included Hon. Kazeem Bolanta, Jamiu Olaitan, Soliu Isiaka,, Badeji Adetunji, John Adegboye and Ahmed Akorede.

Also present at the forum were Adekunle Benjamin, Sulaiman Olamilekan, Olabode Sulyman, Ndagi Salihu, Harun Danladi,Muhammed Ndagi, Adamu Abdullahi, and Salihu Shero.

The group, which deplored the development in the party, said it was a “ a precedence in which the fate of the entire citizenry of Nigeria is now in the hands of a few power drunks holding grip of the APC!”

“We say to them, this illegality and rape of our party’s constitution will not stand.

“On this note, let it be clear that whatever it is that has been agreed to by our governor and his collaborators will never stand in our dear Kwara State.

“We have resolved to explore every means possible to ensure that this sacrilege does not stand,” the group said. (NAN)
ESAN/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)