Date: 2019-04-17

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have said that rule of law and legislative experience should not be sacrificed on the altar of sectionalism when electing ninth speaker of the state House of Assembly.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, members of the Legacy Group/Foundation members of the APC said that it would be counterproductive if rule of law and legislative experience were jettisoned.

Led by its chairman in the Kwara Central senatorial district, Alhaji Gani Saka, the group also called on leadership of the party, including President Muhammadu Buhari, APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the state chairman of the APC, Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa, among others to ensure that members of the party, who had laboured were not subjected to further injustice.

"in as much as we will want to appreciate efforts of our dear brothers and elected members from the Kwara North, we cannot but be guided by a Yoruba proverb that says, "the blind cannot successfully lead the blind." Therefore, we will like to declare our support for the rule of law, by clearly encouraging our party leaders to do the needful by declaring Hon. Saheed Popoola, who is the only re-elected House member among the 24 House of Assembly members-elect, as the next speaker of the House.

"Hon. Saheed Popoola, who has the best political experience as former council secretary, member of Kwara state polytechnic governing council, Offa local government council chairman, former commissioner and the only returning House member, is qualified to be the next speaker of the House where all other members are fresher," he said.

The people, who also called attention of leadership of the party to alleged injustice on them, said that emergence of APC candidates for the just concluded general elections was lopsided.

They said that members that decamped to the party were allotted 95 per cent in elective positions.

"From the position of governor-elect, deputy governor-elect, senators and House of Representatives members, down to the House of Assembly members, almost all are from the camp of our decampee members, while the foundation members were left with next to nothing in the whole arrangement.

"Therefore, it will be great injustice to again sacrifice Hon. Saheed Popoola who has sacrificed so much for the party when it was an act of political suicide for any elected party man to stand with the party against Dr. Bukola Saraki's position, he stood with the party.

"When all other members of the current House of Assembly members decamped to the PDP with Saraki, he stood alone with the APC in the state," he said.