APC Ward Congresses in Kwara, a Leading Model

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Last week, the Kwara State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its ward congresses in all the 193 wards, alongside other states to ensure the day-to- day running of the party’s affairs at that level. The party had been enmeshed in crisis for over two years now without any amicable resolution in sight, and this has split the members into two groups. Despite this development, the party recorded sound and hitch-free ward congresses.

One group is led by Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and has its state secretariat at Flower Garden Area, GRA, Ilorin, while the other group’s state secretariat, supported by the governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has its own state secretariat at Commissioner’s Lodge, Area, Ilorin.
During the congresses, party members from the 193 wards trouped out in large numbers to be part of the exercise, while the various security officers were strategically positioned across the wards to avoid possible breakdown of law and order. Also, representatives of the national caretaker committee of APC witnessed the exercise in different centres in line with the law, just as party loyalists, INEC officials, among others.

Prior to the conduct of the congress, the three-member committee from APC secretariat in Abuja briefed journalists in Ilorin on the guidelines for the exercise. The chairman of the committee, Alhaji Yusuf Umar said, “We are for all in the party and all members of the party are free to come and obtain nomination forms so as to partake in the exercise. Any interested member of the party willing to vie for the executive positions in the wards would pay a certain sum of money in the bank and bring his or her bank teller to the committee before he/she can get the nomination forms for the exercise.”
Umar, who assured members of equity and justice in the assignment given to them from Abuja, said “We are from the same family and the members of the party should endeavour to work as one united entity so as to move the party forward in the state.”

The group loyal to the information minister, Alhaji Mohammed had, few days to the ward congresses, also obtained nomination forms to vie for various elective posts. They even accused the national chairman caretaker committee of the party, Mallam Bai Buni of being the brain behind the crisis in the state. After this outing, a stakeholders’ meeting was held at Banquet Hall of Government House, Ilorin with the governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, his deputy, Mr..Kayode Alabi and other top APC leaders in the state jointly agreed to use consensus model to produce ward executives in the 193 wards, but two of the wards insisted on elections, which also went peacefully.

At the end of the stakeholders’ meeting called by the APC National Headquarters’ Congress Planning Committee in Ilorin, members of the party unanimously settled for consensus candidates across the 193 wards.

The pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting was attended by top party chieftains from the state, including Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Speaker of the House of Assembly Yakubu Danladi Salihu; Senators Yahya Oloriegbe (Central); Lola Ashiru (South); House of Representatives members; House of Assembly members; Kwara APC Caretaker committee chairman Abdullahi Samari; and many others. Governor AbdulRazaq said the party congress is a democratic process designed to ensure smooth running of the party and reiterated the commitment of the APC administration to serve the masses: “We are here only for Kwarans. They voted for us and we must continue to think about our people. We must not disappoint our people. We know what we are doing tomorrow. Speakers have spoken and I wish everyone safe journey to our respective places. May we have a successful outing tomorrow,” according to the Governor, who was represented by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi.

Senator Oloriegbe said: “We are a united family as a party in Kwara. APC in Kwara is the party in government and no king will constitute an enemy against himself. What brought (to the people of) Kwara is ‘Otoge’ and change that we promised our people. And what we said Otoge for is bad governance. We promised good governance and that is what the governor and all of us elected under the party have been delivering.
“There is no household or community without a leader and only God appoints leaders. Anybody God has appointed, we should all cooperate with him. That is the person’s time. We should all cooperate as one family. What we want and what we need is unity of purpose. We shouldn’t be fighting ourselves. We should come together to deliver what we promised the people of Kwara State.

“I want to assure the chairman (congress committee) that we are known for peace because Kwara is not known for thuggery. The congress will go peacefully tomorrow. It is through dialogue and consensus that we will arrive at conclusion.”

Chairman APC caretaker committee in the state Abdullahi Samari said: “The purpose of this meeting is to take briefings on the ward congresses that will take place in the state. The national secretariat of our great party has sent a team to conduct the ward congresses and that team is led by Prof Jonathan Ayuba. I want all members here (as representatives of various communities) to take back the correct position of how the exercise is going to be conducted. With the collation of ideas we have this evening it is agreed that we are going home for consensus candidates.”
The Speaker, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker Raphael Adetiba, said members of the House have agreed to consensus arrangement.

“What we are saying is that we have only one leader per term. God has given us Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at this time and if anybody has a dissenting voice, maybe he is not a citizen of this state. As far as we all know from the leadership of the party in the state, we are prepared for discussion and dialogue. That is consensus. Our assurance to the national headquarters of APC is that it is consensus for Kwara,” he added.

However, on the day of the congresses, for instance, election was adopted at Baboko ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area, while similar process was used to elect Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi who emerged as the chairman in Badari ward of Ilorin West Local Council Area. Attempts by APC coordinator, Tunde Aluko, at the venue of the congress, to convince the people to adopt consensus arrangement met brick wall.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s Electoral Officer, Mr Danlami Zakari, also hailed the peaceful and seamless conduct of the ward Congress in Gwanara ward of Baruten Local Government.

Governor AbdulRazaq, while speaking with journalists, commended the process which he described as “hugely successful, credible and peaceful.”

He said, “The impressive outing and the peaceful conduct of the ward congress again underscores the preference of Kwara people for peace, progressive and inclusive growth that our administration stands for.

“I congratulate our party chieftains who have emerged from the exercise and I urge them to see this as an opportunity to serve and unite the party and deepen the democratic process.”

In the same token, the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Engr Yakubu Danaladi-Salihu, who also witnessed what is now being described as a free and fair and peaceful Congress, charged the newly elected Ward Executives to see their new assignment as trust and make sure the interest of the party and its members was given utmost priority.

Rt. Hon Danladi-Salihu reiterated that the APC Government of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq would ensure completion of all ongoing projects in Baruten, Kwara North and the state in general, stressing that it becomes imperative for everyone to support the governor and his administration in his quest to make Kwara work for all.

The APC chairman in the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Samari, in an interview with journalists said that all the executives across the 193 wards emerged through consensus arrangement, in accordance with the wise counsel of Governor AbdulRazaq.

Samari also expressed delight that there were no parallel congresses by the APC members throughout the state.

Also speaking with journalists on the excercise, Special Adviser to the governor on Political Communications, Hon Bashir Adigun said that the state chapter of the APC in line with directive of national caretaker committee and that of the state governor adopted consensus arrangements for all the candidates in 193 wards in the exercise after stakeholders forum on Friday.

He also said that the large turn out was in appreciation of the governor’s exemplary performance and acceptability by the teaming members.

He said, “It went peacefully all over the state despite earlier misconception that it would not hold.Also the turn out was massive and the Ward executives emerged based on the consensus agreement arrived at during the stakeholders meeting we had on Friday.

“The massive turn out and peaceful conduct is also a clear indication to all that APC members are in support of the governor. The congress had taken place without any hitch or disagreement. We’re unanimous in our support.”

Special Adviser on Strategy to Governor AbdulRazaq, Alh Saadu Salahu, who also spoke with newsmen at his Ibagun ward in Okelele area of Ilorin East Local Government Area, attributed the success of the exercise to the outstanding performance of the governor. “In line with the directive of national caretaker committee and the state’s governor, we adopted consensus arrangements for all the candidates in the 193 wards at a stakeholders’ forum meeting on Friday. The large turnout of our party’s members for this all- important exercise was in appreciation of Governor’ AbdulRazaq’s exceptional performance in the past two years.”