BEING A PRESS STATEMENT READ AND DELIVERED BY KWARA APC CHIEFTAINS AT A BRIEFING HOLDING AT THE APC STATE SCRETARIAT (27, OFFA ROAD) ON THE 1TH NOVEMBER, 2013.

Gentlemen of the Press, we are constrained once again to bring to the attention of the public the disturbing activities of one Mr. Sola Iji, the former state caretaker Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, which if not checked could precipitate a crisis of epic proportion in the state chapter of the APC. We are seriously perturbed by the display of crass opportunism by Mr. Iji and his other self seeking gangs in the defunct ACN who go about grandstanding as the executives of the APC in the state. We wish to condemn in strongest terms the usurpation of party authority by these set of ambitious elements within our new mega formation, as their illegitimate attempt to hijack the party structures before formal registration of membership is capable of inciting early disaffection and bad blood within the prospective mega party.

Recall that on the 16th July 2013, the Interim National Executive of our great Party, having taken cognizance of the conduct of some self acclaimed chieftains of the legacy parties, declared categorically that no interim leadership had been constituted in each state of the federation. Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, the acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, said the APC does not have constituted leaders yet at its state chapters. He said the leaders of the party would emerge between November and December after the congress slated tentatively for that period. Quote, "We are new, and therefore, the leadership of the party has not been constituted. I would use this opportunity to let you know that anybody claiming or parading himself as the leader of the party is not true or genuine. " End of quote. It therefore warned all impostors to desist from grandstanding as the leaders of the party in its state chapters. Recall also that in view of the directive above, we the undersigned in a letter dated 17 August, 2013 and addressed to the Interim National Chairman of the APC, bemoaned the deliberate non-compliance by Mr. Sola Iji with the directive and his other atrocious conducts in the Party, which we believed were capable of fomenting a crisis of confidence among the legacy parties that fused into the APC.

Moreover, having consulted thoroughly with other chieftains and key stakeholders of the three legacy parties in the state, we wish to put it on record that at no time did the party caucus or its stakeholders meet to take such very crucial decision as to appointing Mr. Iji or any other person for that matter as members of the interim steering committee of the party since there has been no directive and guideline yet from the national headquarters on the operational structure of the party offices at the state level.

We wish to therefore reiterate for the umpteenth time that Mr. Sola Iji is NOT the interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State and should henceforth desist from addressing or letting himself to be addressed as such. We state without equivocation that his being a caretaker Chairman of one of the legacy parties, i.e. the defunct ACN, does not by any stroke of fate confer on him any special privilege over and above the State Executives of the other legacy parties and the earlier he and his sponsors realize this the better for the soul of the APC in the state.

We warn that any further attempt by Mr. Sola Iji to mislead the public about the true status of the party's leadership in the state shall be sternly resisted. We equally caution all other usurpers and desperate politicians in the state from deliberately supplanting the decision of the interim national leadership of our Party, else, they are bound to face the wrath of popular mass of the party. Enough is enough!

It is in the light of the above that we advise our national leadership to as a matter of urgency set the ball of the constitution of the interim state leadership of the Party rolling. This we believe, will go a long way in not only checking the likes of Mr. Sola Iji and his backers but also give the party in the state some sense of direction.

Thank you

Signed
Alhaji Taiwo Eleja, Chairman, Defunct ANPP
Alhaji Suleiman Buhari, Chairman, Defunct CPC