Date: 2021-01-17

A faction of the Kwara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is in support of the decision of the Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee to remove Bashir Bolarinwa, state chairman of the party.

In a statement on Friday, in Abuja, the group known as Concerned Kwara APC Elders/Stakeholders, described the appointment of Abdullahi Samari as acting chairman of the chapter as a "life-saving" decision.

The group accused the erstwhile chairman of the party of leading a campaign of calumny against Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, governor of the state.

"First, we throw our weight behind the decision of the national headquarters of our party to appoint a dogged, committed and level-headed party chieftain Alhaji Abdullahi Samari as the Acting Chairman of the party," the group said.

"This indeed is a lifesaving decision for the party that had been in the vice grip of power drunk and self-conceited individuals whose only loyalists are garrulous and selfish few whose only anger with the Governor is that he did not make himself a yes-man or stooge through whom the public vault is thrown open.

"For many months, the former chairman Bashir Bolarinwa and his co-travelers have launched a campaign of calumny against the fine gentleman to the chagrin of Kwara public who wonder what could warrant these party chieftains from the ruling party attacking their own Governor despite his glaring record of achievements in less than two years, humility, openness, and prudence.

"It is on record that these gangs dedicated a weekly programme to denigrate the Governor, his administration, and the House of Assembly. They never missed any opportunity to denigrate the office of the Governor. Certainly, no system, much less an organised political party, can survive the level of indiscipline, arrogance and unbridled ambitions of these lousy few. The intervention of the national headquarters of the party is therefore timely and necessary to save the party from these oppressive, self-centred gang.

"Contrary to their claims, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa was rightly removed as chairman of the party for his many anti-party conducts which include but are not limited to open condemnation and denigration of the achievements of the APC government for his own selfish objectives."

On Thursday, another faction of the party led by one Akogun Oyedepo had appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in an alleged crisis rocking the chapter over the removal of Bolarinwa.