APC now has 400,000 registered voters in Kwara, says AbdulRazaq

By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

There appears to be no letup in the crisis rocking the Kwara state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While the state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq revealed that APC now has 400,000 as registered members of the party, a faction led by Hon Bashir Bolarinwa alleged that during the
membership registration and revalidation exercise no less than 500,000 of its members were shut out.

The faction also reaffirmed its unalloyed loyalty to Hon Bolarinwa popularly referred to as BOB, adding that “he is the legally recognized as APC caretaker committee chairman in the state.”

Governor AbdulRazaq said this in Ilorin, the state capital as part of activities to mark his second year in office.

He said: “We have our state chairman Alhaji Samari Abdullahi here. We just finished our registration process. And I am happy to tell you that the number of registered members of the party today is about 400,000. What I am telling you is the combined total of all the people that voted in the state in the last election.

“APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APGA combined votes were slightly above 400,000 votes. That is the number APC had attained now in the state.

Read Also; APC, PDP trade words over attacks on INEC facilities

“We must all go back and revalidate our permanent voter’s cards. Those that do not have should go and collect theirs, those that are yet to register should go and register, collect their cards to qualify to vote in subsequent elections.

“We know that some members of the party believe that political party is about sharing money. No this is not what governance is all about. Change has come to Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Speaking with reporters on the sideline of a stakeholders meeting, Hon Bolarinwa said: “as far as our members are concerned we remain in APC and nobody should contemplate leaving the party. All should endure whatever difficulties they are going through and be rest assured they will overcome them.

“One of the challenges was the issue of the membership registration and revalidation in which our people were not allowed to partake. We are using this opportunity to give our members assurance not to worry because the matter is being handled by the national body of the party.”

At the end of the meeting which was attended by scores of ‘loyal APC members,’ members condemned “in totality the jaundiced recently concluded registration/revalidation exercise conducted in the state as it ran foul of all laid down party guidelines.

“We decry and condemn the non-inclusive nature of governance being currently experienced in our dear state, as it runs counter to the intent and spirit of Kwara Otoge mantra as well as normal democratic norms; we affirm and stand by our positions as presented to the APC registration Appeal Committee that all our over 500,000 loyal members that were shut out of the jaundiced registration/revalidation exercise be duly registered/revalidated.

“The registration/revalidation of those our members be done before the commencement of various congresses of our party and that the congresses of our party at all levels be transparently conducted to the satisfaction of all.

“We call on the leadership of APC at the national level that these requests are our irreducible minimum as committed and loyal APC members.”