The All Progressives Congress (APC) Monday asked aggrieved party chieftains from Kwara state over the replacement of the state chairman to settle with Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasak at the zonal level.
The Kwara state chapter of APC has been boiling following a letter dated January 4th, 2021 appointing Alhaji Samari as the new Chairman Caretaker Committee of the state APC by the National Caretaker Committee led by Yobe state governor, Mai Mala Buni.
The leaders of the aggrieved party are Minister of Information Lai Mohammed and Minister of state for Transportation, Gbemi Saraki.
The national leadership of APC had summoned all the parties involved in the crisis to a reconciliation meeting on Monday.
Blueprint report that Minister of Transport, Gbemi Saraki was conspicuously absent.
After a closed door meeting which lasted about 2 and half hours, Lai Mohammed and the governor refused to speak with newsmen at the APC national secretariat.
Our correspondent, however gathered reliably that the meeting presided over by the the Secretary, Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe and the representative of North-central zone in the CECPC governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, directed the aggrieved Ministers and their supporters to mend fences with the governor Abdulrasak at a zonal meeting slated for next week.
Confirming the development, Niger state governor Sani Bello, told newsmen in a brief interview that the crisis will be resolved next week.
“We looked at the issue surrounding APC in kwara state and we had brief submission from some of the stakeholders and it was resolved that the matter should be taken back to the zone for the zone to look at the issues surrounding the problems and report back to the National Caretaker Committee.
“So I hope that by next week we should be able to resolve the matter at the zonal level and once that is done we can put our recommendation to the National Caretaker Committee for further action so it was a very brief meeting, but I think we have achieved a lot but I can also say that the cause of this conflict is mostly due to communication gap which I hope we were able to resolve but whatever decision we will take we will make sure that there is no bias and whatever decision will take we will make sure that it is in the interest of our great party the APC. We have no intention to favour any person but to look critically at the situation and to advise the National Caretaker Committee.”
When asked whether the aggrieved faction will get justice, Bello said “We will try our best to see that we work out a way that will be acceptable to both parties if possible but then again whatever decision we take we will look at the party first sometimes you have to take some steps to protect the party on some issues as a result of a conflict and sometimes it is difficult to have a resolution that is acceptable to all but once you do it in the spirit of fairness without any bias and you are sure you took the right decision there is nothing to worry about, our primary interest is to ensure the survival and strength of the party in kwara state without having to look at anyone or anyone’s face.”
The crisis is fueled by a letter signed by the leadership of the party following allegations of anti-party leveled against the erstwhile Chairman, Alhaji Bolarinwa.
This development did not go down with the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, his counterpart, Minister of State Transportation, Gbemi Saraki and some elders in the party, who felt the action was at the instance of the state governor.
A 19-man stakeholders loyal to the Ministers led by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo at a news conference kicked against the decision of CECPC alleging that the action was a move by the party’s national leadership to do the bidden of the governor.
Oyedepo told newsmen that the decision to up-stage Bolarinwa will not stand and warned that if not reversed, may lead to the destruction of the party in the state.
But in a swift reaction last Thursday the State Elders’ Forum led by Barrister Kunle Sualiman at a Press Conference adressed by the immediate past Nigeria’s Ambassador, Alhaji Mohammed Bello also in Abuja endorsed the appointment of Samari, describing it as the best thing to have happened to the party in the state.
The Elders’ Forum believed to be loyal to the state governor claimed that the January 4th appointment of Samari was timely and in order.
