By Muideen Olaniyi (Abuja) & Romoke W. Ahmad (Ilorin)
A caretaker committee led by Bashir Bolarinwa has been appointed to head the Kwara State Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This followed the dissolution of the state party executive led by Alhaji Isola Balogun Fulani, an associate of Senate President Bukola Saraki, by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) at a meeting held yesterday in Abuja.
In a resolution signed by the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, the NWC also constituted caretaker committees in the wards and local government areas of Kwara State.
According to the resolution, “The NWC at its meeting of 30th, July, 2018, examined the unfolding developments within the party in Kwara State, specifically the irregularities that characterized the conduct and outcome of the congresses that produced the leadership of the party at all levels.
“The Committee also reviewed actions of some of the leaders of the party that emerged from the above congress who participated in an open rally calling on the Senate President to decamp to the PDP.
“The NWC after a careful and exhaustive deliberation on this and other developments in the state chapter of the party, and pursuant to the provisions of article 13.4 (xvi) and (xvii) of the party’s constitution, invoked its powers as enshrined therein and hereby resolve to dissolve all party organs from ward, local government and state executive of the party in Kwara.
But the estranged APC leaders in Kwara State had earlier yesterday denounced the call by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who said the faction should be dissolved.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the chairman of the APC in Kwara South Senatorial district, Alhaji Jimoh Balogun, flanked by local government and ward chairmen as well as the state secretary of the party, Chris Ayeni, said the Balogun-Fulani led APC remained loyal to the party at the national level.
Jimoh Balogun, who said that Kwara APC was committed to work assiduously to deliver electoral victory for the APC in the state come 2019, added that the national headquarters of the party should disregard the purported call by the minister.
Jimoh Balogun, who said they had not left the APC as being speculated in some quarters, added that members of the party always waited for directive from their political leader, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
