From Jide Orintunsin, Abuja
The leadership crisis rocking Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) took a new turn yesterday, as the Elders’ Forum supported the appointment of Alhaji Abdullahi Samari as the acting chairman by the national leadership.
The endorsement came less than 24 hours after a group called “Critical Stakeholders”, led by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, opposed the removal of former chairman, Bashiru Bolarinwa.
Oyedepo, at a news conference on Wednesday, accused Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRasak of being responsible for the removal of Bolarinwa in connivance with the national leadership of the party; a development, they warned, might lead to Waterloo for the party.
Amb. Nurudeen Mohammed, who addressed reporters on behalf of the Elders’ Forum at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, said the emergence of Samari was a commendable decision by the national leadership.
He said: “The intervention of the national headquarters of the party is timely and necessary to save the party from these oppressive, self-centred gangs.”
The elders alleged that the opposition against Samari was the handiwork of “power drunk and self-conceited individuals, whose only loyalists are garrulous and selfish few angry with the governor because did not make himself a yes-man or a stooge through whom the public vault is thrown open.”
The forum said contrary to the allegations, Bolarinwa was rightly removed as the chairman for his anti-party conduct.
“For many months, the former chairman Bashir Bolarinwa and his co-travellers have launched a campaign of calumny against the fine gentleman to the chagrin of the Kwara public, who wonder what could warrant these party chieftains from the ruling party attacking their own governor despite his record of achievements in less than two years, humility, openness and prudence.
“It is on record that these gangs dedicated a weekly programme to denigrate the governor, his administration and the House of Assembly. They never missed any opportunity to denigrate the office of the governor. Certainly, no system, much less an organised political party, can survive the level of indiscipline, arrogance and unbridled ambitions of these lousy few.”
When reminded that the two ministers from the state are opposed to the removal of Bolarinwa and are not with the governor, the Chairman of the Elders’ Forum, Mr. Kunle Suliaman, dismissed the ministers as paper weight politicians.
“Those ministers and Association of Failed Governorship Aspirants can come to Abuja to say nonsense, but they are just paper weight politicians. They have no influence at the grassroots. Even a professor like Oba Abdulrasheed, who prides himself as a former vice chancellor, will still have to come to the grassroots to learn.”
Leave a Reply