By Mike Adeyemi
T he factional Chairman of All Progressive Congress, APC Caretaker Committee in Kwara State, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa has further affirmed reason why he dragged Governor of Yobe State who doubles as the Chairman, Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC of APC, Mai Mala Buni, his Niger and Osun State counterparts, Sanni Bello and Gboyega Oyetola to Court, National Pilot learnt.
Speaking with our reporter via telephone call on Saturday, the Financial Secretary, BOB faction, Tajudeen Mohammed sited gross abuses of power, executive rascality and excessive abnormalities by the Buni’s led committee as some of the reasons why the factional Kwara APC Chair files a litigation against them.
You will recall in a suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Bolarinwa wants the Court to determine the legality or otherwise of the appointments of the three (3) serving governors as chairman and members of the CECPC of APC, with regards to the provisions of Sections 183 and 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
BOB in the suit, also queried the legality of the appointments of chairman and members of the APC CECPC without the ratification of the Board of Trustees of Party, as provided under Article 18(II) of the Constitution of the APC.
According to Mohammed, ‘we approached the court to sack Buni and his stooges on the fact of misconducts and gross abnormalities on the part of the Caretaker Committee.’
โIn the first place, their appointments violated the party’s constitution. We kept silence all these while just to respect the president and other executive so as to give rooms for peace to reign.
โThe Buni-led Committee has taken our silence to mean another thing as they went on to cause more discord and crisis in the party across the states. The Caretaker Committee did not have legitimate power to dissolve state excos, having installed Samari who was the deputy chairman of the party in Kwara above BOB. Where is that done,” Mohammed queried.
He added that BOB Camp is confidence and has full trust in the judiciary that justice would be served at the Court of law and Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa will take back his seat as the party chairman in the state.
โIt is only the integrity of President Mohammed Buhari we are respecting all these while. Mai Mana Buni is not capable of leading the party. As a governor, Section 183 of the Constitution said once you are a governor, you have no right to occupy any post again,” he said.
Reacting why the BOB Camp shunned the last APC Stakeholders Meeting held at Kwara State Banquet Hall, Mohammed said his faction back out of the meeting owing to threat to their lives.
“Can you attend a meeting where your life is not saved? The people who attended the said stakeholders meeting were over 10,000 contrary to stipulated figure by the constitution.
“The previous stakeholders meeting of the party at the same venue, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa was attacked, beaten as his cloth was torn. BOB will be restored back to his position by the Court, “the financial secretary assured.
He further warned Kwarans not to be deceived by political jamboree going about by the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration.
โIt is the electorate that will decide come 2023. AbdulRazaqโs 4+4 is equal to zero. He must be dreaming. Forget about him for second term. He is a goner already.
โThe people of Kwara State are bitterly complaining of his bad governance berating us that we sold a bad commodity to them. We brought him and we will show him the way out come next election.
โI am very sure of that. About 90 per cent Kwara APC are solidly behind BOB. When the time comes for elections, people will come out to vote us in. When we opened our secretariat, the place was flooded with people. Majority of Kwara APC are in our camp,โ he affirmed.
Responding to Channels Television referring to Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa as former APC Chairman while attending a live broadcast called ‘Politics Today’, Mohammed said the anchor was not wrong as the NEC had already ascribed all the dissolved excos as former.
“There is noises around this because we have different digressions for every statements. The last day we had NEC in our party, every executive became former having dissolved all excos.
โSo Seun Okinbaloye of Channels TV was right calling BOB as former Kwara APC Chairman. He does nothing wrong,” Mohammed cleared.
Recall that on 25th June, 2020, the National Executive Council of the APC had, during an emergency meeting, removed the former National Chairman of the Party, Adams Oshiomole along with members of National Working Committee and set up the CECPC Chaired by Gov Mai Mala Buni, with his Niger and Osun State counterparts, Executive Director of NEXIM Stella Okotete and Special Assistant to President Buhari on Youth Matters, Ismaeel Buba Ahmed among others as members.
Bolarinwa also challenged the legal validity of his purported removal from office as the Kwara State Chairman of the APC and consequent appointment of Abdullahi Samari, having regards to Section 183 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended), Section 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Article 17 (IV) of the APC Constitution.
Also questioning the legal capacity of the Buni-led APC CECPC, Bolarinwa prayed the Court to grant an Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining Gov. Buni and the APC CECPC from conducting the Local Government Congresses and State Congresses slated for 18th September, 2021 or any other APC Congresses pending the determination of the suit.
Bolarinwa prayed the Court to restrain Abdullahi Samari from further acting or parading himself as the Acting Chairman of the Kwara state Chapter of APC.
