By Mumini AbdulKareem
Fresh crisis is presently brewing in the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as attempt by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to foist supporters and candidates of his cronies as caretaker chairmen has reportedly backfired, National Pilot can report.
The move by the Governor according to party insiders, have pitched lawmakers and party executives against one another across the local government councils over disagreement on the choice of their preferred candidates.
It was gathered that the governor in an attempt to appoint his loyalists for the proposed Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) for the councils directed members of his political group, AA, to forward names of their candidates.
The action did not however go down well with some party top shots who rejected the move and insisted on fielding their own nominees, a situation that has caused heavy disquiet among top leaders in the party across the three senatorial districts in the state.
It was learnt that several meetings convened by aggrieved party members and leaders to resolve the issue were deadlocked with no tangible agreement reached.
In Ilorin West for instance, it was learnt that three party leaders, the lawmaker representing Magajin Geri who also doubles as the APC House Leader of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Magaji Olawoyin, a top party leader in the constituency and the state secretary of the party, Mustapha Ishowo and a another top party stakeholder, Barrister Kunle Suleiman clashed over the issue of nomination of candidates.
The three leaders are all members of the AA group loyal to the governor and are “vehemently” pushing for their candidates, a source noted.
Speaking on the issue last night, a top member of the party in Ilorin West who craved anonymity told National Pilot that the party leaders have not been able to resolve the issue amicably.
“The issue has reached a breaking point and those the Governor saddled with the responsibility to come up with the names have found it difficult to do so and he (Governor) is likely to use his discretion. The tenure councils officially lapsed Thursday last week and there is possibility of him announcing on Monday (tomorrow) or probably this week.
“In Ilorin West has been the most contentious so far. The TIC has been zoned to Magagin Geri to allow the council where the suspended chairman hails from completes the tenure. But there is also the issue of some of the leaders in the constituency seriously lobbing for the post of the Chief of Staff and are vehemently against the TIC appointment coming to the constituency. Everybody is just flexing their muscles and alleged closeness to the governor which boils down to the fact that there is no leader to direct and properly coordinate the process”, the source noted.
Also speaking on the issue, a source in Ilorin South said the consultative meeting held on the issue was a “Kangaroo” one and “we are hopeful that it will be resolved this week.
“Those believed to be close to the governor are the ones calling the shot but there is no concrete agreement on the issue because none of the ward chairmen were not carried along but sidelined. The party at the local level was not even aware of the issue. It is the AA group members that are behind most of the arrangement which has now boomeranged”, he noted.
According to a top party leader in one of the local governments in Kwara South who confirmed the development, there is no local government that is not having issue with the governor’s directive and that is normal in politics. That is politics anyway and it’s not only in Ilorin west that the issue has become very contentious. But definitely when all the group has submitted, the Governor will then pick from the it.
Asked about whether the governor may announce the candidates this week, the source said “The Governor is not predictable. You might be thinking he will announce tomorrow and he may shift it to next week and vice versa. Although there are insinuations that the Governor might announce the candidate this week, that would have been easier said if he can be preempted. He likes to do his own thing the way he wants it and at his own pace”.
“But on our part, we have submitted our preferred candidates to the Governor. He requested for seven candidates per local government which are the chairman, vice chairman, secretary and four supervisory councilors. This followed the marching orders that the Governor issued to lawmakers and party stakeholders on the issue”, he added
Meanwhile, the APC has said it was yet to receive any official request from the governor regarding the constitution of the TIC.
The PRO, Alhaji Folaranmi Aro who confirmed the directive of the governor on the collation of names told National Pilot in a telephone chat last night that “I can’t make any comment on the issue and there has not been any officially request either from the party or Government House”.
