Kwara APC crisis: furore as Oke Ero LGA gets new party chairman

Intra-party crisis of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has reportedly continued unabated as a faction of the party in the Oke-Ero local government area of the state has sworn-in a new party chairman, Comrade Ifabiyi Raphael.

Speaking with journalists during the event in Ilofa on Thursday, one of the major stakeholders of the party in the area, Reverend Bunmi Olusona, said that there was a need to have a party chairman that would be loyal to the state governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

Reverend Olusona also said that the essence of the event was to swear in a new party chairman and declare full loyalty to the leader of the party in the state, Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRasaq.

“We are here with our new local government party chairman and all the 10 ward chairmen of APC in the Oke-Ero local government area, including major stakeholders of the party in the local and the state, as well as our state officers. We are here to tell his Excellency that he can depend on this local government 100 per cent.

“The deposed chairman has demonstrated that he is not loyal to His Excellency, Governor Abdulrazaq, and there is no tolerance for that in this local government area. We are only playing rules of politics. There are only three rules of politics. The first one is loyalty, the second one is loyalty and the third one is loyalty. If you are the party chairman of this local government, you must demonstrate your 100 per cent loyalty to his Excellency and the former chairman has failed in that regard”, he said.

The swearing-in of the new chairman, Comrade Raphael, from Idofin/Odo-Asin constituency Ward, was witnessed by the deputy speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Raphael Adetiba.

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Meanwhile, in his reaction to the development, the state APC chairman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa said that “as a matter of fact, the governor of the state is number one citizen in a state and that is also applicable to the political party, Mallam Abdulrahman AbdulRasaq is the leader of APC in Kwara State, and nobody is contesting that”.

He, however, said that it is only the national leadership of the party, under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole that has the constitutional right to issue directive for congress, “which will lead to having a new set of executive at all levels, and since there is nothing like that at the moment, whatever that might have happened at anywhere, either in Oke-Ero or other local governments is effort in futility.

“Although, the happening within the party could be very disturbing but we are already looking into whatever that might have been causing it and I want to believe that it will soon be resolved”.

Also speaking at the swearing-in event, the state assistant legal adviser of the party, Mr Raphael Sunday Asaolu, said that “The people gathering here today are loyalists of Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRasaq. We are like-minds that believe that Governor is our leader. We came together to show the whole world that Oke Ero local government is for the sitting Governor.

“We are one as APC but it’s left to each member of the party to pick whoever they believe is their leader between the two gladiators. But for peace to reign, it’s advisable for members to recognize Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq as the leader of the party and be loyal to him”.

In his acceptance speech, the new chairman, Comrade Ifabiyi Raphael, said that “with the support of the party members in Oke-Ero Local Government, I am ready for all-inclusive government and promise to always do adequate consultation with the party leaders before taking any critical decision.

“My advice to party faithful is that they should be loyal and honest to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq”.