Since
the assumption of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as the Governor of Kwara State about
two years ago, the party has been enmeshed in various wrangling and war of
attrition. The simmering crisis which has been raging for over seven months now
has snowballed into a full-blown one as it has split the party into three camps
in the state.
The
crisis dates back to the period before the 2019 general elections. Immediately
after former senate president, Bukola Saraki’s defection from the ruling party
to the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, the politicians who felt
disenchanted with the political hegemony of the Saraki dynasty, came together
to edge him out of power in the state. There was a popular political protest in
Kwara with the tag “Otoge”, and shared purpose brought political enemies
together.
The
force was formidable and victory was delivered in the end. However, instead of
savoring the victory at the polls, a war of supremacy began to brew between the
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other stakeholders. The stakeholders are
Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed, Minister of State for Transport,
Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, and Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo.
All
other key players have constantly pointed accusing fingers at Prince Fagbemi’s
group of putting the interest of the governor ahead that of the party. The
governor’s camp has equally been railing at the other camps, specifically the
Lai Mohammed group, of controlling the governor.
As
this cold war continued, both camps pretended as if all was well in the party
but keen watchers of the state chapter knew that it was a matter of time for
the crisis to manifest openly. December 2020 was the deadline for every state
chapter to pick its caretaker committee members ahead of the party June 2021
national convention.
AbdulRazaq,
buoyed by his supporters and loyalists, pushed for the chairmanship of Prince
Fagbemi, his long-time political ally. But the proposal did not sail through.
Eventually Bashir Bolarinwa who was the chairman when the Otoge movement
dismantled the 40-year political stranglehold of the Sarakis emerged
victorious. The emergence of Bolarinwa brought evident division to the party in
the Kwara State as the governor’s loyalist plot to remove him from office.
Before
the 2019 elections, a source had disclosed that Bolarinwa was the key player
who fought tooth and nail to ensure that Abdulrasaq wins the election against
the hegemony of former Senate President.
It
was gathered that before the elections, Abdulrasaq does not leave Bolarinwa’s
house. A close source disclosed that Abdulrasaq at some point would sleep in
Bolarinwa’s living room when the campaign exercise became tough.
Bolarinwa
had muted the idea of contesting in Lagos to Asiwaju, who told him he should go
to Kwara and deliver victory to the APC and ensure that Abdulrahman wins at the
poll: a task he reportedly delivered judiciously.
The
crisis deepened during the party membership revalidation and registration
exercise. Governor Abdulasaq had written a petition informing the national
working committee of his displeasure with the idea of Bolarinwa continuing to
oversee the exercise as the caretaker chairman. Instead, he opted for
Bolarinwa’s Deputy, Alhaji Abdullahi Samari. This caused a major division
within the caretaker committee as Samari and some other members of the
Bolarinwa’s executives pitched their tent with the Governor Abdulrasaq.
As
the caretaker chairmanship crisis raged on, the national headquarters referred
the matter to the zonal headquarters and Governor AbdulRazaq’s candidate was
endorsed by Niger State Governor Sanni Bello.
The
materials and logistics for the revalidation and registration were handed over
to Samari and the seven-man committee led by Senator John Danboyi was received
at the government.
Sensing
that there is a looming crisis, the Danboyi committee convened a stakeholders
meeting, perhaps to calm down frayed nerves. But, the meeting was truncated by
mayhem, fisticuffs, and throwing of chairs. In the process, no fewer than five
members of Bolarinwa’s camp, including some executive members, were injured.
Some
alleged loyalists of the Information Minister led by Bolarinwa was accused of
being behind the pandemonium and the needless breaking into the venue of the
party’s stakeholders meeting, an allegation that was quickly diffused by the
minister.
The
integrity group who are predominantly elders and leaders of the party said that
the ongoing crisis in the party will not dissuade its members from
participating in the registration and revalidation exercise.
The
group’s spokesperson, Umar Shabbat said that the group was out to prove that it
enjoys majority support in the party among other stakeholders. He believed that
what government’s team is out to achieve is to frustrate other members outside
the space of his loyalist.
Shabbat
foreclosed any reconciliation with the governor, saying he (the governor) was
not in any position to call them for any meeting after failed attempts to
reconcile their differences. Shabbat who holds the traditional title of the
Wakili Lafiagi said the committee members are unfit to do any meaningful party
registration and revalidation in the state, and also maintained that the APC
Caretaker Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa did not arrive at the venue of the failed
stakeholders meeting in the company of thugs or cultists.
Bashir
Bolanrinwa was a one-time Councillor, local government Chairman and Federal
House of Representative member at a point in time too. He ran for the
governorship of kwara state in 2011. He is from Agunjin Ward in Ifelodun Local
Government. He is a staunch loyalist of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
There
are also reports that the Abdulasaq-led government did not want Bolarinwa in
Kwara because of his close nexus with Asiwaju in Lagos as he’s seen as
Asiwaju’s boy.
At
an event recently, Governor Rahman saw Asiwaju and approached him. He told
Asiwaju he needed a brief moment with him and Asiwaju refused to grant him the
audience. Asiwaju told him point-blank to route his message through Bolarinwa,
if he had anything to discuss with him.
The
Emir of Ilorin is also reported to be at loggerhead with the governor, because
of his style of administration. The rift was revealed to the public when the
Emir’s daughter got married recently, the governor did not attend the event,
but Bolarinwa was visibly seen as a special guest at the wedding. However,
Bolarinwa seems to have gathered a wider base of supporters, despite the
attempt to remove him as the Caretaker Chairman.
Some
stakeholders loyal to Bolarinwa led by Hon. Iyiola Oyedepo had kicked against
the purported removal of Bolarinwa as the chairman of the party in the state.
The other party stakeholders led by Hon. Kunle Sulyman had thrown their weight
behind the appointment of Alhaji Samari Abdullahi as the acting chairman of the
party in the state
Both
parties have been carrying out their duties in parallel as acting chairmen.
So
far, 9 out of the 16 local government council chairmen of All Progressives
Congress(APC) in Kwara State pledged their support and said they were
accountable to Hon Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa as State Caretaker Chairman in
accordance with the APC Constitution. While the 7 others pledge their support
for Gov. Rahman’s choice.
The
nine APC LG Chairmen that signed the resolution are, APC chairmen in Ifelodun
LG, Hon. Mohammed Shilo Awobimpe; Ilorin East, Elder. Babatunde Kolawole
Asanlu; Asa, Ahaji Hassan Abdullahi; Irepodun, Hon. Aransiola Oyeyemi Samson;
and Isin, Hon. Bamidele Ogunbayo.
Others
include; Ahaji Monsuru Ademola of Ilorin South LG, Hon. Taiye Olaniyi of Oyun
LG, Hon. Yusuf Abdulganiyu Kehinde of Offa LG and Engr. Muhideen Shittu of Oke
Ero LG.
While
justifying their position, they argued that the Hon. Bolarinwa piloted the
struggle to liberate Kwarans from the People’s Democratic Party and won 100
percent in the past election, which made it a historic victory not only in
Kwara but across Nigeria.
While
Governor, Rahman is a Lagos-based elite why played big in the private sector, Bolarinwa
has been a political mobilizer for many years, even before the 4th republic.
His follower’s base in Kwara is second to none, which is why Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu recommended him to lead the campaign for Governor Rahman at the time.
It
was reported by a source that the same Bolarinwa knelt down in public to
apologize and beg other aggrieved aspirants on behalf of Gov. AbdulRahman
AbdulRazaq, so that they all work together to achieve the success that they
cannot handle today.
The
protracted crisis has broken the party into three factions and pitted Governor
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq against the third force in the state Minister of
Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in a struggle for the control of the
party.
Mr
Bolarinwa, who is loyal to the minister was removed by the Yobe State Governor
Mai Mala Buni-led national caretaker committee of the party last Tuesday and
replaced with Abdullahi Samari. While the faction loyal to the governor swiftly
lauded the development, party members on the side of Mr Mohammed sees the hand
of the Governor in it and has been made even angrier.
Until
the recent dissolution of APC executives at the state, local, and ward levels,
it is the position of the majority of party stakeholders in Kwara State that
the caretaker committee led by Bolarinwa had overstayed its welcome and a new
one was required in the interest of fairness and justice.
The
caretaker committee, constituted over two years ago in 2018, was a special
purpose vehicle that had since outlasted its purpose. It was therefore welcome
and just when the NEC of the party dissolved it along with others across the
state.
it
is, however, not clear how the polarised party structure intends to sustain state
power amidst the power tussle that has fallen things apart, while the PDP
continues to build bridges and mend fences within its party in the state and
also poaching aggrieved members of the APC and other political parties ahead
2023
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