The embattled Chairman of the Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, has insisted that he remains the authentic chairman of the party in the state.
Recently, his Deputy, Samari Abdullahi, took over the party chairmanship after the national leadership of the party reportedly issued a letter to him to that effect.
Since then, the party in the state has been factionalised into two main camps. One is being led by the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and other group led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Speaking for the first time since the crisis in the party started, Bolarinwa had a chat with party supporters during a sensitisation and mobilisation programme ahead of the membership registration/revalidation exercise in Ilorin yesterday, saying there was no petition against him before his purported suspension and removal.
According to him, “I have heard and read a lot about lies being peddled around the APC chairmanship position in the state. I am here to tell you that I remain the chairman of the APC in Kwara State.
“All their antics with Samari would not take them anywhere. They should bring out the petition written to cause my purported removal. I was never called to any panel, so that cannot hold waters.”
The party chieftain, who said he was approached by the forces in the government to take a commissionership appointment in place of his chairmanship position, added that he would not succumb to intimidation from any quarters.
Bolarinwa also urged party members and to take advantage of the current membership drive to not only register but to also mobilise the people in their different polling units, wards and local government area to become members of the party.
He said the party had to hurriedly organise a membership registration exercise in 2018 to meet the conditions of conducting party primaries which were close as at that time, which he said denied many aspiring members the opportunity.
The APC state leader, however, advised members to conduct themselves peacefully and avoid any act of provocation that would amount to a breakdown of law and order in the state.
