THE Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged plot by the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unseat the Senator Bukola Saraki. Saraki, the former governor of Kwara State, is representing Kwara Central Senatorial District and is now one of the leaders of APC in the state. APC’s interim Publicity Secretary in the state, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, raised the alarm In a statement. The statement reads in part: “Information gathered from close associates and a reliable source in the presidency is to the effect that, the Presidency is desperately in search of a Judge who will be heavily induced to compromise and remove Senator Bukola Saraki from the National Assembly as a Senator of the Federal Republic. “Further to this, we learnt that few of those contacted have declined to go with this illegal bidding. “The general public would recall that the Abuja division of Appeal Court had upheld the judgment of the federal high court delivered by Justice Ibrahim Auta, which confirmed the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial district and dismissed the case filed by Alhaji Lasis AK. Jimoh. “Justice Moshood Adumein delivered that Saraki’s nomination in the 2011 primary election was in total compliance with Section 33 of the Electoral Act. The question now is, what is the Presidency’s interest in the matter before the apex court, if not an act of impunity and lawlessness. Our legal system and jurisprudences are not different – when a case is bad, it is bad. The two lower courts could not have erred. “We are aware of efforts by the CJN, Hon. Aloma Muktah to cleanse the judiciary, and she should be given all necessary support by all concerned to achieve this feat by not allowing the evil counsel of PDP to stand as perfected. All plans to extend act of impunity within the judiciary by the desperate act of PDP should be resisted by all and sundry. “We call on all lovers of democracy to advise the Presidency and PDP to stop further attempt at undermining our fledgling democracy.”
Tag: Kwara APC
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Kwara APC scores Jonathan low on service delivery
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has blamed the Federal government for the corruption and insecurity in the country.
APC described the statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan when he visited the state ‘’to champion the freedom of the people from political and socio-economic oppression’’ as hypocritical.
The party, in a statement by its interim spokesperson, Sulyman Buhari, said: “What has Kwarans benefited from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government since the last election?
“It is hypocritical for a President, who coordinated the disqualification of a governor from participating in the primaries for a governorship election, to pride himself as ‘champion of freedom’ to Kwarans.
“If the President does not care how his home state is being governed as he stated, how come he imposed his lackey on the people of Bayelsa State.
“No matter how hard he tried to misinform Nigerians about the true situation of the polity in Kwara State, everyone knows that Kwarans are at the centre of our policies and programmes.
“The last time Mr. President visited, he came to campaign for votes. Kwarans voted for him through the support of our leaders – Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed.
“Three years after, Kwarans expect impactful federal projects and programmes, not campaign for 2015 elections. PDP is a party of jesters.
“The correlation between those promises on February 22, 2011 and the reality now in Kwara State is zero.
“If the PDP prides its strength in Kwara State on a crowd of majorly PDP members from Niger, Kogi, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos – goodluck to it. It will soon wake up to the reality.
“We assure the people that the Ahmed-led administration will continue its determination to expand opportunities for our people through socio-economic capital projects and programmes.”
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Belgore and Kwara APC
Regrettable. That is the one word a reasonable individual familiar with the political workings of Kwara State as well as a burden for the emancipation of our nation would use to describe the latest outpouring of emotions by Mr. Dele Belgore, SAN, and one time gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria on the merger of the nPDP with the APC in Kwara.
Let me isolate the issues that so much bother Belgore in the very emotional interview he recently granted one of the national dailies. One, that while the decision of the national leadership of the APC to accept the nPDP into the fold of the APC is a welcome development, the decision to accept the same nPDP members in Kwara State into APC is foolish. ‘I understand it from the point of view of national politics’, he said in the media chat.
I doubt, judging from his subsequent utterances, that he really understands. I wonder how what is agreed as a necessity for the political development of the nation will have no relevance to the local platform of the same polity. If it is good at the national level, how would it become evil at the state level? Who makes the national leadership of any party if not people representing the local organs?
It seems to me that Belgore is only reluctant to tell the leadership of the APC what he really wants in the state: express gubernatorial ticket of the party. Perhaps that is the genesis of his crisis with the state leaders of the party before the merger? He had raised the same contention when the legacy parties, ACN, CPC and ANPP were still working on the merger that has made the opposition party a force to reckon with today in Nigeria. He made numerous outreaches to media personalities promoting the argument that having been the gubernatorial candidate of the ACN and having won the highest number of votes among candidates of the legacy parties, he deserves to be the candidate in the next election. But now applying the same rule to the merger of nPDP, our brother is unhappy. Regrettable.
The second issue of bother to Belgore is that the nPDP members, under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki, will add no value to the APC. Definitely it is a summary dismissal of the combined wisdom of the leadership of the APC. It is a subtle way of castigating the elders who went round the length and breadth of this country, risking their lives, canvassing the evolution of a truly national opposition party with enough strength and spread to truly challenge the PDP in the 2015 election. To Belgore, they have not done well because they included Kwara on the list of states they consider as truly progressive and which should join the increasing fold of like minds across Nigeria.
His other partner, Bunmi Olusona, also recently went out in the media to say the legacy parties would win Kwara without the nPDP. He brandished some spurious data to prove the might and power of the parties. But one simple question: How many people voted for Olusona in his hometown at the last election when he was gubernatorial candidate? What has he done there till date that makes him believe he will still win one polling unit in his ward? On the day of the last election, where was Olusona? On the prayer mountain, I was told by a bird, praying, instead of mobilising voters. What he should have done first he did last and he expected miracle. Regrettable.
Please let somebody tell Belgore that the coming of both Saraki and governor Abdulfatah Ahmed into the fold of the APC is already adding real and positive values to the party.
A reminder: Belgore also claimed a government agency said Kwara is unbankable. False. He should go and check his record again. Methinks that as a lawyer, facts are supposed to be sacred. So why did Belgore conveniently ignore the retraction of the same agency on the same subject? Or does he want to say that since that allegation was raised two years ago no bank has been dealing with Kwara? So how does Kwara access its funds? How does Kwara pay contractors?
I understand it if he claimed he cannot see any work in progress in Kwara. I understand it if he says there is no transformation going on in the state. I understand. He cannot see them because he is not the one in charge. He may not be able to see Kwara State University, but others can see. The respected Professor Ibahim Gambari is the Pro-Chancellor. Let Belgore consult him. The university has held one convocation and it was not in secret. He may not be able to see the International Aviation College, but others not blinded by personal ambition can see it. It is located on the expressway out of Ilorin and just held its maiden graduation, produced the youngest Nigerian pilot. Belgore can send his team there. He may not be able to see the benefits of the Kwara Bridge Employment Scheme but the thousands of Kwarans who have benefitted from it can see. They are in the ministries and parastatals, excited that government has opened to them a window of opportunity. Belgore should look out for them. He may not be able to see the thousands of small scale businesses generated by people who have been given access to loan in designated microfinance banks, but Nigerians of good conscience can see them. It is a project that has given life to micro finance banks and empowered the population of small scale entrepreneurs. He may not be able to see what government has done in the health sector until he takes a personal, unbiased tour of comprehensive renovations at the general hospitals in Omu-Aran, Offa, Ajasse-Ipo, Kaiama and Ilorin. What about massive road construction going on across the state? Ambition. Yes, personal ambition and desperation will not allow our barrister to see those ground-breaking achievements for a state almost at the terra firma of federal allocation and constrained IGR. Regrettable.
And lastly, he pretended he had nothing to do with the PDP. This is regrettable because those who walk the politics of Kwara understand that he is merely waiting for a little time to join his ilk in the party. Like somebody joked the other time, Belgore is now APC in the day and PDP in the night. It is, like Wole Soyinka’s play, the metamorphosis of a selfish propagandist. I cannot speak for Saraki, but I want to advise Belgore, if the Almighty has destined the man to be the leader at this point in time, why fight the decision?
Adebayo writes from Ilorin