Kwara APC Youths Hold Prayer Session Over Party Crisis

All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Chapter of Kwara State, under the umbrella of Concerned APC Youth Stakeholders, over the weekend, held a joint prayer session to seek divine intervention to end the crisis tormenting the party.

The prayer session was held at the state APC Secretariat, Ilorin, with Pastor Benjamin Adekunle leading the Christian prayers while Mallam Amidu Jimoh, did the same for Muslims. The petitioners asked God to intervene in the crisis and restore peace within the party's rank and file.

APC has had a crisis of confidence among members of the party. The crisis exacerbated as the party chairmen in the 193 wards announced their choice of candidates Bashir Bolairnwa against that of the state Governor, Abdulrahman Addulrazaq.

The governor is supporting Abdullahi Samari the deputy caretaker chairman as state caretaker chairman, while chairmen from other wards declared support for the formers state chairman of the party, Bashir Bolarinwa.

At a media briefing in Ilorin, a group of ward chairmen loyal to the governor on Sunday hailed Samari's appointment as state caretaker chairman of the party as a step in the right direction.

Chairman of the group loyal to the governor Habib Lawal said the removal of Bashir Bolairnwa, marks a new dawn for Kwara state APC and offers the party an opportunity to reunite and focus effectively in support of the governor to sustain the delivery of dividends of good governance to the people of the state.

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Lawal, who claimed to be speaking on behalf of about 141 ward chairmen, said "Our resolve to avail ourselves for the continued service of APC and the governor is not negotiable as we believe this collaboration is in the best interest of all Kwarans.

"We commend Governor Abdulrazaq for upholding the integrity of the APC by delivering efficiently on the manifesto we promised Kwara people when we campaigned on the 'otoge' mantra."

However, another group claiming to be representative of the Kwara APC caretaker chairmen Bashir Bolairnwa, dismissed Lawal as an impostor, adding that he is claiming to occupy a position alien to the APC constitution.

A spokesperson for the group, Abubakar Kannike who equally claimed to be speaking on behalf of 114 Ward Chairmen said, We use this opportunity to state that we will never recognize anyone as state caretaker chairman of APC in Kwara state except Bolarinwa who was the one that administered the oath of office to all.

"We recognize Abdullahi Samari, in the capacity of deputy caretaker chairman for which he was sworn into office by the same Bashir Bolarinwa, on this note, let us make it clear that the mandate given to us by the national executive council of APC is clear. Thus, we will not tolerate any attempt to undermine or seize authorities," Kannike said.

"The only body capable of effecting any changes in the party's constitution remains the party convention and as things stand, that body is yet to be constituted," he concluded.