Date: 2018-08-27

Kwara state All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee Chairman, Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa has said his committee remains the authentic executives in the state.

The chairman of the dissolved APC in the state, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani is still laying claim to the seat. Balogun-Fulani-led exco had even gone to court to challenge the caretaker committee.

Bolarinwa said this in Ilorin, the state capital when he paid a courtesy visit on the state police command at the weekend.

"I want to use this opportunity to tell you that as far APC is concerned in Kwara state, you have no set of people that will always represent APC other than this set of people here today.

"Our coming here today is to pay a courtesy call on the command. We had this assignment about two months ago that the Ishola Balogun-Fulani led APC was dissolved by the national working committee of our party.

"Thereabout, a caretaker committee headed by me was set up by the national working committee, but fortunately or unfortunately, immediately after the set up, we swung into a very serious work; that probably accounts for why this visit is belated. It is better late than never.

"We have come here to interact with one another and to know one another better. We are also here to say that this is the beginning of so many good things to come.

"Under that I want to commend the commissioner of police for a job well done. Since you assumed office we have had very good report about the work you have been doing." he said.

Responding, the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Saleh, promised that the police would continue to provide security for all, including political parties in the state.

Saleh said, "The visit is not timely since the dissolution of the state executives of the party and since the setting up of the caretaker committee we have not formally met with your committee. This is an important opportunity for us to know one another one-on-one so that we can relate more effectively.

"Of course, we know that this visit ought to have been done much earlier, by the time that they came on board there were a lot of tasks which we all understand. It is not easy to manage a political party in a state that is politically vibrant like Kwara state.

"So the belated visit is forgiven. Our primary responsibility is to ensure security in the state, without that political game cannot be played well. In that regards, we shall continue to give our assistance to all the parties in the state."

Also, the dissolved Ishola Balogun-Fulani led executive has urged his members and ward chairmen with their working committee to be prepared for the registration of new members and re-validation of old members in their wards.

Addressing reporters in Ilorin, Balogun-Fulani said the party register "will be distributed to every ward. All old members coming for re-validation should produce for sighting their membership cards for authentication.

I use this medium to inform our registration desk not to reject anyone who wants to register, for the party is ready to instill discipline and necessary sanction on any ward chairman that shows favouritism or intimidation tendency to anyone."