Kwara APC crisis deepens, as party suspends 11 members loyal to Lai Mohammed

The leadership crisis in the Kwara State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is still festering, as the party has suspended 11 members from the faction of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

The members were axed for dragging the party to court.

The party in the state has been divided into two factions fighting to have control of the party’s structure in the state, with one faction loyal to Mohammed, and the other loyal to the state governor.

The letters of suspension which were served on the affected members were signed by the National Secretary, Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CENCPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, and addressed to the chairman of the state APC chapter, Abdullahi Abubakar, on Thursday.

Part of the letter reads:

“We write to inform you that our State Caretaker Committee in Kwara State constituted a Disciplinary Committee to hear and determine the complaint against Plaintiffs in Suit No: CV/241/2021 btw Jospeh Tsado and 10 others vs All Progressives Congress and 2 others.

“The plaintiffs instituted the above-mentioned suit against the party and flouted the resolution of the National Executive Committee wherein all members were directed not to institute any action and withdraw their cases in Court in order to explore the internal conflict resolution mechanisms of the party.”

The party’s decision was said to be as a result of a letter by Abubakar who had notified the national leadership of its disciplinary action against the 11 members.

The suspended members, according to the party, include Joseph Tsado, Bamidele Ogunbayo, Issa Fulani, Imam Abdulkadir, Morufu Olaniyi Yusuf, Saludeen Lukman, Kerebu Fatai, Bola Ajani, Nurudeen Fasasi, Salman Shehu Babatunde and Abdullateef Ahmed Kolawole.

They were said to have approached a High Court seeking to remove Abubakar as the APC caretaker committee chairman in the state due to the rift between Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the Minister which led to the later setting up a parallel office for the his faction as both men battle to have absolute control of the party structures in the state.

Abubakar who confirmed being in possession of the suspension letters, said in a short statement:

“The suspension of the 11 members is true. Although we received the letter from the National Secretariat, we have not implemented it because we are working out reconciliation within the party.”

But the Vice Chairman and Senatorial Chairman of the party for Kwara North, Chief Sunday Oyebiyi, who belongs to the Minister’s camp, denied that they were suspended as none of the affected persons had received the letter in question.

“The suspension of our members by the NEC/Convention planning committee is a rumour; it is a social media story. I cannot confirm it because none of those mentioned in the report has been served with the letter of suspension.”