Buhari’s visit: Factional Kwara APC asks Buhari to present flags to its candidates

Ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Ilorin on Monday, the court backed Ishola Balogun-Fulani led All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Kwara state has urged the President to hand over the party’s flags to its governorship candidate, Hon. Kayode Abdulwahab and other candidates that emerged on its platform.

Balogun-Fulani, in a statement, said that they expect President Buhari as a man of integrity who has demonstrated respect for the rule of law on several occasions, to heed their call because their positions had been recognized by a court of competent jurisdiction.

He said that to do otherwise would not portray the party in good light before the court and the general public.

The APC chairman added that it is on record that a court of competent jurisdiction had on September 19, 2018, delivered judgement on the controversy that surrounded the status of APC leadership in the state.

“In that judgement, which is yet to be set aside by a higher court, the court upheld our position to the effect that the purported dissolution of our executive committee was illegal, and that the only state executive of APC in the eyes of the law is that one led by my humble self, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani.

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“Following from that judgement is also the fact that the only recognized candidates of our party during this coming elections are those who came through our executive. In this regard, the gubernatorial candidate of our party is Alhaji Abdulwahab Kayode and we expect and hereby do humbly ask President Buhari, a man of integrity who has demonstrated respect for the rule of law severally, to abide by this judicial position.

“Therefore, we expect that as the president hands over the party’s flags to candidates on Monday, they should be to those who have legal ground to represent APC in the election, starting with Hon. Abdulwahab Kayode and down the line.

“To do otherwise will not portray our dear party in good light before the court, which will still look into the matter and the general public who will vote during the elections. The latest decision of the court on the case of Kashamu vs Adebutu and leaders of the PDP is a good example to guide our party in the present circumstance”, he said.

The APC chairman, who maintained that the party remains the best for the country, called on Nigerians and especially Kwarans to cast their vote for all the party’s candidates across board, adding that “President Buhari deserves a second term to consolidate on the giant achievements he has recorded in all sectors of our national life since he assumed office in 2015.”

While assuring the president that the party is fully on ground in Kwara to deliver February 16 election for him, Balogun-Fulani said that “the APC has enough achievements to campaign in Kwara state and we have daily amplified this and the reception we keep receiving daily assures us that we’re coasting home to victory.

“And it is this assured victory that makes us to once again ask Mr president to do the needful in the eye of the law, in the eye of morality and in the interest of our great party when he comes visiting on Monday.”