By Steve Oni, Ilorin
The Chairman of the court- backed All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state, Hon. Ishola Balogun-Fulani has expressed confidence that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will this week put the names of the party’s candidates on its list of those approved to contest the February 16 and March 2, general elections.
Balogun -Fulani stated this in on Monday in Ilorin, the state capital during the official flag off of campaign for the APC’s candidates for all elective offices in the state.
He told the teeming supporters and members of the party that witnessed the colourful ceremony that his leadership had contacted INEC and secured assurances over the development.
It is recalled that although INEC had listed the names of National Assembly candidates from the other faction when it released approved names for the election, the electoral umpire nonetheless indicated the “court ordered” against the names, a development that has put the two camps into confusion.
Balogun-Fulani said: “It was our names that were supposed to be on that INEC list so when we didn’t see it we went to ask them and we were told that immediately after the court order which announced us as the authentic party leaders, they (INEC, Kwara), wrote to the headquarters and they asked them to forward our names but we couldn’t submit on time so that was why they published those names and infected the existence of court order against them.
“So in essence their people can’t contest. I assure you that between now and next week the authentic names will be available and you are going to vote for them all.”
He promised that if the APC wins the coming election, it will produce a government that will listen to the people and not run to another state to seek relevance and approval.
He expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the APC for allowing the two factions of the party in the state to seek judicial intervention in resolving their differences and pledging to abide by the outcome of the court process.
Also speaking, the governorship candidate of the party, Alhaji Kayode Abdulwahab after receiving the flag from Balogun-Fulani, promised to create massive jobs through agriculture by leveraging on the land resources of the state and the presence of the River Nigeria which passes through major parts of Kwara state.
He said , “our government will be obedient to our party if elected and right now we are pledging to work assiduosily to ensure that President Muhammadu Buahri wins this coming election at the federal level while we all replicate that victory in the state.”
The Director General of the APC campaign council in the state, Alh Jimoh Balogun assured that the party will emerge victorious in the coming general elections in the state.
He said their campaign will be issues- based devoid of violence, saying that the APC has solid structures across the three senatorial districts of the state.
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