Our attention have been drawn to the serial attacks and campaign of calumny against the leadership of our party – All Progressive Congress (APC) both at the state and national levels by a collection of moles and over-ambitious elements in our midst.

We are not unaware of what they represented over the time but were only watching if they would have a change of hearts. The events of the last few weeks did not only confirm to us that they are attention seekers but they are also out for destruction. It is unfortunate that all co-habitants of the perfidious expedition are on their way to oblivion. The facts of the issues are summarized below:

The leadership of Alh. Lai Mohammed and Senator Bukola Saraki

We wish to state that we repose high level of confidence in the leadership of the interim national publicity secretary of party, Alh. Lai Mohammed and the senator representing Kwara central senatorial district, Senator Bukola Saraki. We are quite satisfied and on the same page with them in the way the merger process has been handled in the state.

We re-affirm here that the on-going talks between the leaders are in the best interest of our members and the state in general and the feedback from them has always been prompt and regular. We are equally proud of the sterling performance of Alh. Lai Mohammed at the national level – a condition that have placed all members of APC in Kwara State on a vintage position.

What the dissidents want?

The agitation of the dissidents is not in the interest of the state or the party but a craving to continue to massage their ego when they knew that they can’t survive the competition. There are three set of people in that category:

1. Those who cheated in the PDP when they were in the same party with Senator Bukola Saraki and later escaped to the defunct ACN, it is just logical that they must keep on running.
2. Those that enjoy the smallness of the legacy parties and have always use the platform to negotiate during elections. This is the case of Bunmi Olusona who refused to go with us during the days of the Alliance Democracy (AD) into the Action Congress (AC) because he wanted to run for governorship in 2007. He ran on the platform of AD. When he returned in 2011 he begged before he could secure a house of representative seat; and
3. The over-ambitious clique; those ones believe they cannot achieve their personal aspirations under the present arrangement. This is the case of Mr. Mohammed Dele Belgore, SAN who knew next to nothing on how he emerged the flag bearer of the ACN in 2011 and still willing to clinch party ticket any day in spite of poor outing last time.

However, it must also be stated here that not all the noise makers have a stake in the present arrangement, what they intend to achieve with the noise making is a ploy to create a space for them. Where does Bashiru Bolarinwa belongs? He didn’t come through the legacy parties and never belonged to the new PDP that recently merged with us.

This is one man that is ruled by excessive obsession for political office; his history is in the public domain. He fell from grace! Having successfully cut his teeth for himself in the politics of Lagos Sate through the benevolence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he abandoned his constituents and Lagos electorates when he defected to the PDP in his covetousness for governorship position in Kwara.

The same Bolarinwa is the new sponsor of the dissidents in our midst who have vowed to remain within to destroy what he knew nothing on how we built it. As the Yoruba would say, he who knows nothing about your investment can never call you a prodigal. When Bolarinwa was busy betraying confidence and nursing unrealistic ambitions we were busy building the party.

Membership registration and party congresses

We implore our members to continue to be loyal to the party leadership who are working day and night for the betterment of all. We expect that shortly after the national leadership meeting in Abuja we shall be able to give direction on how the membership registration and party congresses would go. It is expected that the exercise will hold soonest.

Party structure and political appointment

We wish to also state that the party leadership enjoys a very robust relationship which is in the best interest of our members in the state. We are reliably informed that a chieftain of the party and former gubernatorial candidate in the state at a meeting in Lagos at the weekend declared his readiness to join the PDP and was bitter that some elected members of the party in Lagos of Kwara origin were frustrating his effort to pull members from the Kwara central senatorial district. So, what do you expect from such a human being? We bid him fare well.

In the light of the above, we know where they belong and on top of their game because they have not come to their final terminus. They will soon leave.

Conclusion
We urge our members to continue to be steadfast, loyal and support the party leadership in their quest for a better Kwara that all of us can be proud of. Thank you and god bless.

Hon. Temitope Olayonu
Member, Kwara State House of Assembly
Hon. Hassan Oyeleke
Member, Kwara State House of Assembly
Alh. Tunji Buhari
Former CPC Chairman, Member SHC
Alh. Taiye Eleja
Former ANPP Chairman, Member SHC