APC members in Kwara divided over caretaker committees

Date: 2016-11-01

*PDP threatens legal action, insists on elections

Lobbying and the attendant grumblings arising from frustrations over the countdown to the end of the tenure of local government councils in Kwara State have thrown the All Progressives Congress (APC) into confusion.

Besides, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is warming up to drag the state government to court should the government proceed to appoint caretaker committees to man the councils after the expiration of the term of the present occupants on November 10.

Although the chairmen of the 16 councils of the state have less than 10 days to go, nothing concrete has been done by the government to have a new set of elected officials to take over from them.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Mujideen Akorede told The Guardian that the government would make its position known on the development after the expiration of the tenure of offices of the council chairmen, adding "we are not ready to utter any word on it for now." However, Government House sources said that the government might eventually settle for the option of caretaker committees at the end of the day because of the 'present realities.'

"The truth of the matter is that the state has not gotten the financial muscles to conduct any election at that tier of government for now. Besides, there should be a reform at that level first before you start talking of any election. So the TIC option will be the option the government will settle for," the sources volunteered.

The indications are that a caretaker committee would be appointed by the State governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed and this, sources hinted informed the directive to the ruling party that a list of possible replacement be drawn.

The Guardian learnt that following this development, the outgoing councils' chairmen have commenced lobbying to be retained as the caretaker chairmen. But while they are jostling to remain in office, other members of the APC are positioning themselves to take over from them.

A source claimed that the Governor has told the council chairmen to vacate their offices to give room for more dynamism and to accommodate others who had also worked for the success of the party in the state. Already, the leadership of the party has demanded names to be submitted to it from across the 193 wards of the state.

Furthermore, one of the sources alleged that the chairmen have gone as far as Abuja to plead with the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to intervene to no avail.

Said the source: "They (the chairmen) went to the Senate President in Abuja to help them prevail on the Governor to accept their proposition. But Saraki told them to go back home and do the bidding of the Governor."

Already, the development has pitched the two groups - those for and opposed to the elongation of the chairmen's tenure against each other.

According to a member of the party, there is discontent among the APC members sympathetic to the embattled chairmen. But the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari has dismissed the claims of a crisis as untrue.

For the APC spokesman, "there is no brewing crisis" in the party over the nomination process to the proposed Transition Implementation Committee for the councils chairmen.

His words: "It is utterly untrue that there exists a brewing crisis in our party over the appointment of persons into the Transition Implementation Committee. Therefore, we urge members of our party in Kwara State to disregard the misleading rumour.

"While it is true that the leadership of the party has requested for the submission of names across the 193 wards in the state, we want to emphasise that we have experienced party administrators in our party. Therefore, we can assure party members and the people of Kwara State that the nomination process into the proposed Transition Implementation Committee will be hitch-free. The party will ensure justice and equity in the entire process."

He also assured party members who tirelessly worked for the success of the party during the elections that their contributions will not be in vain.

"As a party, we believe that the idea of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) for the 16 local government councils in the state is in the best interest of Kwarans, considering the fact that our State cannot afford to spend over N1bn on Council elections in the face of economic reality," Buhari stated.

Besides, the Special Adviser to Governor on Political Affairs, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape asserted that despite the issue, the party in the state was waxing stronger by the querying: "What do you mean by crisis in our party?"

"We are one big family and we are assuring members of the public of our resolve to continue to run the state in the best way possible. There is no rancour among us and there will not be any."

Nonetheless, the opposition PDP disclosed that it was contemplating a legal action against the State government on the decision to subtly allow a caretaker arrangement as against the conduct elections into the councils when the chairmen vacate their offices. "It will be a daylight robbery for the APC to shun the need for the conduct of elections into the offices. We may opt for a legal angle to resolve it. The state belongs to us all. We will resist every attempt within what the law allows to run it like a family thing," Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, the State chairman of PDP said.

Source

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Abdulkadir Bolakale Sakariyah     Saheed Popoola     Asa LGEA School     Bature Bello     Sherif Sagaya     Ilorin Amusement Park     Azeez Salawu     Ayedun     Sardauna     David Adesina     Apaola     Kayode Oyin-Zubair     Elections     Ijagbo Health Centre     Amuda Bembe     Laolu Saraki     Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency     New Model Police Station     Harrison Osauwagboe     Yusuf Amuda Aluko     Akorede     Council Of The Wise     Musbau A. Akanji     Sobi FM     Abdulfatai Baakini     Ganmo Electricity Sub-Station     Sulu Babaita Isiaka     Abdulmumini Jawondo     Ibrahim Jawondo     UTME     John Dara     Mohammed Danjuma     REO CAKES     Tunji Oyawoye     Muhammed Abdullahi     Olatunji Bamgbola     Abdulhakeem Amao     Kwara State Polytechnic     Eghe Igbinehi     Abubakar Suleiman     Alfa Modibbo Belgore     Mogaji Aare     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Oko-Erin     Afolayan     Women Radio     Iyiola Oyedepo     Atiku     Saba Jibril     Oni Adebayo     Jumoke Monsura Gafar     Nurudeen Mohammed     Matthew Babaoye     Saduki Lafiagi     Saliu Ajia     Yusuf Abdulwahab     Hausa     Lukman Oyebanji Fagbemi     Bola Tinubu     Saadu Gbogbo Iwe     Freshvine Nigeria Limited     Ilorin Curfew     Surajudeen Akanbi     Centre For Digital Economy     Iyabo Adewuyi     Tafida     Ilorin Durbar     Olokoba Abdullahi Ayinla     Gbugbu International Market     Tunji Ajanaku     Abdulmumini Sanni Jawondo     Quarry Royal Valley     College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies     Muideen Olaniyi Alalade     Buari Edun     Toyin Sanusi     Ayodele Olaosebikan    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Tunde Idiagbon Road     CUTI     NULGE     Transition Implementation Committee     Amos Justus Sayo     Rihanat Ajia     Ilorin     Olaiya Lawal     Laboratory-to-Product     Fola Consultant     Bilikisu Gambari     Oke-Ogun     Apata Ajele Secondary School     Sodiya     Joseph Yemi Ajayi     Abdulfatai Baakini     Abiodun Jacob Ajiboye     Congress For National Consensus     Dan Masanin     Ahmed Ayinla Jimoh     Senate     Tsaragi-Share     Abdulrahman Onikijipa     Busari Alabi Alausa     Ilorin South     Doyin Agbamu     Kazeem Oladepo     Bola Sagaya     Durosinlohun Kawu     Rotimi Atere     KWTV     Ganmo     Sherif Sagaya     Aremu Odolaye     Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency     Bayer Nigeria Limited     Ilorin Emirate Stakeholders Forum     Mohammed Ghali Alaaya     Saka Adeyemo     Suleiman Abubakar     Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone     Ojo Fadumila     Oju Ekun Sarumi     Mohammed Ibrahim     Sheikh Ridhwanullah El-ilory     Yahaya Abdulkareem     Kupchi Hosea Maxwell     Local Government     Labaeka     Oniwasi Agbaye     Oko Erin     Ayotunde Emmanuel Alao     Agbarigidoma     Jebba     Bamidele Adegoke Oladimeji     Saheed Popoola     Sheikh Ariyibi     Akorede     Abdulrazak Shehu Akorede     Yusuf Babatunde Abdulwahab     Abdulfatai Salman Baakini     Amos Bajeh     Budo-Egba     Arca Santa     Haleeman Salman     Seun Bolaji     Raymond Olaitan     Ayobami Seriki     Onikijipa     Ahman Pategi     Ilorin Innovation Hub     NITDA     ITP     Oluwatoyin Lukman     Shuaib Boni Aliyu     Oba Of Jebba     Mansurat Amuda-Kannike