As the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq prepares to celebrate his first one hundred days in office, the internal leadership crisis rocking his party All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised concerns among political stakeholders in the polity especially in whether the party can afford to involve itself in another round of crisis. Head Politics, Mumini AbdulKareem writes on the issue.
Last week, the post election leadership crisis that had plagued the Kwara State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) reached its climax when news of the showdown between the party chairman, Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa and Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq became a subject of open discussion among party supporters and stakeholders in the state.
For some critics who had followed developments in the party after the last round of general elections, the present situation in the APC requires little time for the bubble to burst and the present scenario is not surprising. However, apologists and hardliners had hoped the present situation will eventually pass because of the peculiarity of the party’s victory which saw political leaders outside the popular Saraki Dynasty converge to challenge the status quo.
But against the expectation of many of the party members and supporters, news filtered in last week about the face-off between the party chairman and the governor over the latter’s alleged refusal to grant a N10m request for party executives to attend a North Central convention of the APC in Abuja recently. Among other things, the party chairman also allegedly accused the Governor of running the party like a personal business keeping issues of appointments and policies to his chest.
Investigation by Pilot Politics shows that many of the party stakeholders and chieftains who claimed to have played a major role and assert responsibility for the struggle that brought about emergence of APC=led government have been highly disappointed with the actions of the governor since assuming office, especially his penchant to put them in the dark on all issues of governance. But for the decision not to rock the boat too early and the implication a full blown leadership crisis would have on the affairs and campaign promises of the party on masses whose expectations have soared, many of the highly embittered party chieftains would have confronted the Governor long before now.
An online comment believed to have been sponsored from the camp of the party chairman expressed shock over the action of the governor.
“Before the elections, promises were made and people went as far as spending their personal money to make sure the party emerged victorious. At the end of the day, we thank Almighty Allah for the victory, but we are shocked that Abdulrahman after the swearing-in as Kwara State Governor has quickly forgotten the role the party played…. It’s a thing of shame that a governor that is supposed to keep the party together is insensitive to little things that can trigger rancour amongst members.
“(Gov) Abdulrahman should understand that it’s not about trying to protect one’s integrity alone, it’s about standard process and making people feel important after rendering their selfless service for him as a party. We’ll still be the ones to defend him when things go haywire and got sour with the opposition. We don’t really want an insensitive Governor that doesn’t regard his party members, we don’t want a governor that will leave us hanging and tasking our purse when he is able and capable to make it easy. We are totally disappointed in His Excellency and we have to set the record straight as party faithful and as good ambassadors of the state. The Governor should do well next time”, the statement noted.
Last week, a top chieftain of the party who also doubles as the National President of a Social-Cultural group in the APC, Orisun Igbomina, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, however went to the market square with the issue accusing the party chairman of insubordination among other things. According to him, only “those that are in the ’18 yard box’ in the party understands what is happening.
Citing reasons for going public with the issue, Chief Awoyale told Pilot Politics that he was forced to do so after several attempts to speak with Bolarinwa over the issue privately failed, adding that what is at stake is about the Igbominas rather than Bolarinwa.
“This is not a personal issue and it was done for the party to have peace. Why should you be embarrassing the Governor of the state and yet the constitution of the party recognised the Governor as the leader of the party in the state?
“The Governor rejected their demand for money to go to Abuja for a programme, because he doesn’t want to spend Kwara resources like that and they are attacking him over it. Bolarinwa is of the Igbomina stock, if we don’t curb him early enough, it will affect others because people will be saying it’s an Igbomina man that started the trouble against the Governor.
“He (Bolarinwa) was imposed on us when we had no option then and yet he is the one that is not standing upright. Anything he is saying will be tagged as coming from Igbomina. We suffered for this struggle and there will be nobody that will be happy that the party chairman led a group of people to embarrass the Governor in Abuja just because he didn’t grant their request for money. This is not about politics. We have tried to speak with him and make it an internal affair, but he has refused and people are already suspecting that he is being used. It is too early for such”, he added.
The crisis got messier few days back with the 7-day ultimatum issued to the chairman of the party by Kwara Youths Congress (KYC), an umbrella body of youth associations in the APC across the state shortly after an emergency meeting held in Ilorin on 26th of August 2019.
The Spokesperson of the group and also coordinator of Ilorin Emirate Youths Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, who read the resolutions of the group, noted that “Hon. Bolarinwa’s greed, disloyalty to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq doesn’t portray that of a true party helmsman who is expected to foster prudence, peace, unity and prosperity among members. “He has demonstrated high level of greed, indiscipline, arrogance and insubordination against the highest ruling class in the state”, he added.
Already, the issue is spreading to the local government chapters of the party across the state with suspension of the APC chairman in Ilorin South Local Government, Mallam Mansuru Ademola, over alleged acts of indiscipline and abuse of the party’s internal democracy on Monday after an emergency meeting held at the council’s secretariat. Comrade Akeem Jaji was appointed as the acting chairman. The embattled chairman was accused of promoting factions within the party executives and party members and exhibiting acts of dictatorship, lack of honesty and transparency in running affairs of the party among others.
Attempts by the APC to manage the issue with the body language that all is well has however revealed another political angle to the matter.
Reacting to the comment of Awoyale, the party through its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Folaranmi Aro took him to the cleaners.
“We therefore distant ourselves from all statements that may be credited to individuals or group of people against Alhaji Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, his administration and our party, and thus urge all party loyalists to disregard such.
“On a last note, we are proud to inform the public that (Kwara) APC is one big and united family under the leadership of our Governor, irrespective of any internal issues which are bound to occur in a democratic setting and that notwithstanding, we are blessed with good mechanisms to resolve such matters when it arises in the best interest of justice and democracy.
“This statement is coming on the heels of the misleading comments by one political miscreant who intends to stoke a fire of political crisis using Orisun Igbomina as a cannon folder… We urge the discerning public to disregard all recent happenings hatched by anti-people elements within and outside the party geared towards destabilising the APC. Party members should be wary of fifth columnists being sponsored by anti-people element in the state. There are party procedures on different matters which are not ambiguous, and clearly spelt out in the party’s constitution. Any call for the resignation of the party chairman is not only reckless but senseless. The relationship between the party and the state government is cordial and the party will do everything possible to maintain this cordiality so that the good people of Kwara State can benefit maximally the dividends of democracy”, it added.
But the statement the party quoted as issued by the APC chairmen across the local governments signed by its PRO, Hon Sulaiman Tejidini pledging loyalty to the leadership of AbdulRazaq in the Kwara APC had an earlier version declaring support for the embattled chairman against the Governor collectively signed by the sixteen of them. The party’s position was seen as a way to give the governor soft landing allegedly arm-twisting the PRO to do the hatchet job.
While this issue is playing out, it is imperative the party rise above the needless crisis to work for actualisation of the moderate and exaggerated campaign promises it made to the people during the electioneering. Sadly, some of the party officials are already worried about the politicisation of the governance in the state this early when the last one and a half years will most probably be used for politics. The success of the present government no doubt the wish of many Kwarans including the opposition . However, as pointed out by two-time governor and former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki that the change in leadership with afford the people opportunity to compare and contrast. He has not only uttered this but restricted his followers and supporters against their wish not to heat the polity for people to see the best the new APC governor has to offer.
And just like the chairman of the opposition PDP, Engr Kola Shittu has said that “Our party’s engagement going forward is to provide constructive criticism of the ruling APC and where they are doing very well, we will praise them and will shout where they do, otherwise for them to do it very well for the citizen to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
“Governor Abdulrazaq should do his best for others coming after to continue to build on the good things he will leave behind. Many of our politicians because of lack of understanding and education which transcends beyond having a formal schooling don’t understand politics. I think the media has a huge role to play to ensure it is well appreciated and played. Those who are expecting me to be insulting the ruling government in the media will be disappointment because we will only be talking on policies. We give kudos to the governor for the good things he has done because the citizens will enjoy it, we are not fighting with anybody”, he submitted.
So, as the APC administration led by Governor Abdulrazaq set to celebrate 100 days, it cannot afford to celebrate crises against the huge expectations of the people to break new ground on issues of development and governance.
