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Some of the loyalists of Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, under the aegis of Kwara Legacy Group, have explained the reason behind the opening of a new party secretariat for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State.
Recall that the minister opened another party secretariat of the APC in the Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, last Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in Ilorin on Friday, the spokesperson for the group, Kayode Ogunlowo, said that the acquisition of a new party secretariat was informed by the expiration of an agreement with the landlord of the building that had served as the party secretariat.
“We can recall that before the emergence of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq as a candidate of our party in 2018, we had a party secretariat that was fully functional, but immediately he became the governor, he rented a three-bedroom apartment at Tanke Iledu and tagged it state secretariat of the party.
“After the expiration of our agreement with our landlord, the party structure was left without party secretariat which informed the party executives led by Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa to acquire a befitting party secretariat that was commissioned by the honourable minister, Lai Mohammed, last week,” Ogunlowo said.
While thanking President Muhammadu Buhari and the minister for their efforts in ensuring victory for the party, Ogunlowo said the lingering crisis in Kwara APC was part of the premeditated plan of the governor to create another dynasty in the state.
He, however, called on the President to call the governor to order before it is too late.
“We are all aware that immediately after the overwhelming victory of the APC in both the presidential and governorship election, Kwara APC chapter has been embroiled in one crisis or another, owing to the factionalisation of the party structure by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq and his co-travellers through the creation of a forum named ‘AA’ and substitution of the party structures across the state with this forum in a ground plan to usurp the constitutional right and duty of the structure led by Bashir Omolaja Bolariuwa,” he said.
While reiterating the group’s readiness for reconciliation, Ogunlowo added that: “It is saddening that one samari who claims to be caretaker chairman of the party could accuse Alhaji Lai Mohammed of factionalising the party.”