Date: 2018-03-31

Concerned Youths of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilorin East local government council of Kwara state have alleged that some elders in the council nominated their cronies for the position of commissioner in the state.

They, however, appealed to the political leader of the party, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to come to their rescue so as to move the party forward.

The state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed had recently dissolved the state executive council and has directed each local government councils to nominate three persons out of which two would be picked as commissioner and Special Adviser.

The youths said that instead of convening stakeholders' meeting on how the nominations would be done, some party elders in Ilorin East local government allegedly sidelined them in the nominations process.

Addressing journalists in Ilorin on the development, the youths said that, "It is disheartening to note that these so called party elders that have been allegedly holding them hostage in the party failed to deliver their polling units and wards to Dr. Saraki and the APC during the local government council elections in the state onNovember 18, last year."

The spokespersons of the youths, Mr. Abubakar Olarongbe and Mr. Abdulkareem Olarenwaju said that the youths, who constituted majority stakeholders in the party, have been sidelined, as they were not involved in the nomination process. They said that these so called party elders have been in government for the past 16 years without contributing to the development of youths, other than use them for their personal benefit.

They noted that apart from this, the youths alleged that the elders also shared to their relations positions of all members of boards and parastatals meant for the people of the local government council.

The youths said, "We cannot explain why we have refused to protest all these while, we suspect they are using charm on us. They have done so many evil things to us over the years; various appointments that were supposed to be given to members on the basis of wards and units were restricted to their relations and family members.

"We chose to still remain in the party because of the benefits we enjoyed during the lifetimes of late Dr. Olusola Saraki and from his scion, Dr. Bukola Saraki but these elders blocked us from seeing our leader, Dr. Bukola Saraki so as not to know what we are passing through in the party and that is why we decided to come to the open.

"They keep doing this over the years because they are the ones that used to see the senate president. They believe that there was no way the aggrieved members could ever see Dr. Bukola Saraki and complain to him."