Date: 2018-05-22

The May 19, 2018 state congress of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State has become a subject of litigation as two members of the Kwara State chapter of the APC have dragged the party before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

The plaintiffs, Rev. Bunmi Olusona and Alhaji Toyin Ayinla, are seeking an interlocutory injunction restraining the APC and its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, from recognising Ishola Fulani as the "appointed or elected chairman of the Kwara State APC executives."

They want the court to restrain Fulani from "parading himself as the chairman and an executive member of the Kwara State APC exco," pending the determination of their suit.

The first to fourth defendants in the suit are the APC, Odigie-Oyegun, Mallam Mai-Mala Buni and Fulani.

Ayinla, in a 19-paragraph affidavit which he deposed to in support of the motion on notice, said in line with the directive of the APC National Working Committee, the Kwara State chapter of the party conducted its state congress on May 19, 2018, at the party’s secretariat, where he (Ayinla) emerged as the secretary and Olusona emerged as the chairman.

He, however, said after the congress where he emerged as secretary was concluded, he and other elected executive members later learnt that a parallel congress was conducted at the Kwara State Banquet Hall in Ilorin, where Fulani and others were declared and appointed as the Kwara State executives of the APC.

He said this was contrary to the guidelines by the APC National Working Committee which had fixed the date, time and venue of the congress.

He, however, said that to his surprise, the APC, Odigie-Oyegun and Buni "vowed to only recognise and deal with the 4th defendant (Fulani) and those appointed with him."

Ayinla said already the APC was planning to organise a national convention in June where the state executives alongside other people would elect the APC national executive officers.

"That I know as a fact that the defendants are boasting around that nobody can stop them from according the 4th defendant (Fulani) recognition of the executive member of Kwara State," Ayinla said.