Elected leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) from Kwara South senatorial district has denounced Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed over his call for the dissolution of the party’s executive committee in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital, Chairman of the senatorial district, Alhaji Jimoh Balogun, said contrary to the position canvassed by the minister, the elected leaders remain loyal to the national leadership of the party and would work for it’s sucesss in the next elections.
Balogun, who was flanked by local government and ward chairmen of the party as well as state secretary of the party, Chief Christopher Ayeni as well as other stakeholders, lamented that Lai Mohammed has been the one not truly representing the state in his activities.
The Minister and members of his faction of the party had at a meeting in his Oro country home on Sunday demanded the sack of the state leadership of the APC in grounds that they are no longer working for the interest of the party following the defection of two senators and six members of the House of Representatives from the state to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
But Balogun argued that the defections were personal decisions of the affected legislators and we’re not done with the connivance of the state executive committee of the party as being insinuated by the minister.
Asked about an earlier demand by the three senatorial chairmen in the state asking Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki to lead them out of the APC, Balogun said events have since overtaken that demand as the Presidency and Saraki have engaged in dialogue while the outcome of the interaction is now being awaited.
His words: “Lai Mohammed is a Kwaran in disappearance with anticipation of surfacing during election period only, he did not vote in Kwara state during the presidential election that brought in General Muhammad Buhari
“Lai Mohammed has contributed nothing to APC Kwara since he became a federal minister, he is not a financial member of APC in Kwara, has never attended any meeting of APC in Kwara state either at the ward, local, senatorial or state level
“As a minister, he is benefiting from where he did not labour, has never attended any APC North Central meeting but always align with south west politics, has never visited any of the 193 wards in Kwara state to canvass for support for APC and Buhari,
“That APC in Kwara state is a United big family under the chairmanship of Hon Ishola Balogun Fulani, that Lai Mohammed should know that all executives from the wards to the state level were duly elected under the supervision of the officials of the APC National Headquarters with INEC officers in attendance, sworn in accordingly and has taken oath of office to serve for a tenure of four years”.
.new telegraph