By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Some elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state have kicked against the call and insistence by certain chieftains of the party led by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo in the state that Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa should be sworn in as the “Caretaker chairman of our party in the state because, in their words, Kwara State cannot be treated as a separate case outside the recent resolutions of the NEC.”
They said: “For the record, until the recent dissolution of APC executives at the state, local and ward levels, it is the position of the majority of party stakeholders in Kwara State that the caretaker committee led by BOB had overstayed its welcome and a new one was required in the interest of fairness and justice. The caretaker committee, constituted over two years ago in 2018, was a special purpose vehicle which had since outlasted its purpose. It was therefore welcome and just when the NEC of our party dissolved it along with others across the state.
“Having this, we observed that there are a couple of misrepresentation of facts in the statement of Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo.
“First, it should be noted that the sole reason the party opted out of delegates election for the primaries of 2019 general elections was because the party caretaker officials could not serve as valid delegates, hence the resort to direct primary election. It was that direct primary election, supervised by the caretaker committee, that the Supreme Court upheld.
“The position of the Supreme Court was that the National Executive Committee of the party had validly dissolved the state executive committee led by Balogun Fulani and that its (NEC) decision to appoint a caretaker committee was valid.
“At no time did the Supreme Court pronounce BOB as validly elected chairman.
“It is our contention that the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led national caretaker committee should not inaugurate Bolarinwa as that would mean that an interim person whose tenure ought to have lapsed is again handed the rein of the party despite the controversy surrounding his headship of the party.
“Whereas other states had validly elected state executive committees, Kwara had none and so it had and still has a special case.
“Nothing buttresses this point more than the APC communication of 30 July, 2018 where it was clearly stated that the caretaker committee was an arrangement that came into place as a result of the developments in the state at the time.
“Our position, therefore, is that a caretaker committee cannot under whatever guise succeed another caretaker committee.”
The party elders are Alhaji Iliasu Ibrahim,
Alhaji Farouk Idigba, Alhaji Omotosho Adam, Prince Micheal Ajamu, Alhaji Shehu Nseri, Mr Daniel Nathaniel,
Alhaji Karufe Shonga, Gbenga Falusi
and Mrs Joel Adedayo.
End
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