Kwara state APC headed by Prince Sunday Fagbemi on Friday took a decisive action to end the suspension spree in the state chapter.
Though the party had earned almost a total victory in the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25 and the Governorship and house of assembly elections held on March 18, what began shortly before the elections had suddenly resurfaced this week with other party members taking part in the spree.
While ward officials in Alanamu , Ilorin West local government, had before the elections asserted that the state secretary, Mr Mustapha Ishowo had gotten suspended from the party and this did not produce an intended effect, and it was also a one-off thing, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Director General of his constituency office, Abdulwaheed Piri, former senator Makanjuola Ajadi, Governor Abdulrazaq’s Special Assistant on Youth ,Engr. Rasaq Apaguntan, Chief M. T Lawal, Mr. Samuel Fasobu Jimoh, Alhaja Barakat Atunshe, Rasheed Shuaib and others had their respective Ward officials announcing their suspension from the party this week and they were all accused of anti-party activities.
The Ward leaders that wielded the big stick had submitted that they had taken such a step after reviewing the elections held on February 25 and March 18 and the outcomes.
Members, stakeholders and executive committee of Ogidi Ward APC gathered to express their opposition to Oloriegbe’s suspension from the party on Friday.
They described the ward officials’ action as malicious, mischievous and injudicious asserting that the lawmaker and his aide had continued to be in the good books of party members in the ward and would therefore continue to enjoy their support.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe
One of the ward officials, Mrs. Abdulrasaq Sidikat , who is the Welfare Secretary , also claimed that they were tricked into appending their signatures to the statement announcing Oloriegbe’s suspension.
‘We were told that the leadership of the party at the local government level instructed that a list containing the names of the executives be drawn up to identify those who are still active in the party. This directive was conveyed with the stern warning that we must append our signatures to affirm our membership and validate our respective positions.
It was under the smokescreen of validating our membership that we were tricked into appending signatures to a list which, unbeknown to us, was mischievously designed to contrive the suspension of someone who has been of great blessings to us’ she said.
It will be recalled that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had sequel to his victory in the guber election, welcomed former political foes and co-contestants with arms wide open and he had also visited former FCC Chairman, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem and a virulent critic of his administration, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo at their residences.
He had also on Friday appointed Professor Oba’s political disciples as his aides.
The state APC has also decided to lead party members’ steps on the path of peace.
Chairman , Kwara state APC, Prince Sunday Fagbemi in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Friday noted that ‘reports of some party members getting suspended by their ward officials had become a cause for concern’.
Urging peace, dialogue, and reconciliation, the state APC also in a step taken to douse the ‘smouldering political fire’ noted that those suspended by their respective ward officials should consider such null and void.
‘While the party agrees that no organization survives without discipline and respect for leadership, the party feels it is also important to build group cohesion through conciliation and consensus building.
To this extent, the party urges all its organs across the state to shelve punitive measures against any member and instead embrace peace and reconciliation, which will help to foster a stronger party and spirit of collective responsibility among members.
For the avoidance of doubt, this is the time to rally every member of the party behind Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s agenda for positive growth and collective prosperity for the people of the state. The responsibility before the party and its government is to justify the confidence the people have reposed in us by re-electing the Governor and voting for all our candidates in the recent elections, including the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
We do not need any distraction that will affect the party or our government. It is against this background that we implore our party stakeholders at every level to embrace peace, dialogue, and reconciliation.
For these reasons, the state executive committee of the party will not be accepting the recent suspension of some party members for the sake of peace and party cohesion.
This neither takes away a need to ensure party discipline as enshrined in the constitution nor does it imply that the concerned party executives necessarily acted in bad faith.
It is about bringing everyone together for the purpose of peace and development, which Kwarans have recently voted for’ the statement said- Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
