Cr!sis In Kwara APC As Members St0rm Chairman’s Residence, Protest Imposition Of Candidates In Congress
Crisis In Kwara APC As Members Storm Chairman’s Residence, Protest Imposition Of Candidates In Congress
Kwara APC
Many accused the chairman of allegedly altering names on the list of party executives and imposing preferred candidates.
Hundreds of aggrieved members and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State on Saturday stormed the private residence of the party’s state chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, in protest over the manipulation of the results of the recently concluded party congresses.
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The protest, which took place in the early hours of Saturday in Ilorin, saw party members chanting protest songs and repeatedly shouting “Olè! Olè!!” — a Yoruba word meaning “thief.”
This is as they accused the chairman of allegedly altering names on the list of party executives and imposing preferred candidates.
The demonstration created tension around the chairman’s residence as scores of APC supporters gathered, demanding that the leadership of the party respect the authentic list of executives affirmed during the congresses conducted across the state.
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The protesters said the congresses were held across wards, local government areas and the state in line with directives from the national leadership of the party, stressing that the exercise was meant to reaffirm existing party executives through a consensus and affirmation process.
According to them, the process was peaceful, transparent and conducted openly in the presence of security operatives as well as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who monitored the exercise in several locations.
One of the protesters who spoke during the demonstration accused the state party leadership of attempting to manipulate the results after the congress had been successfully concluded.
“We followed the directive of the national leadership of the party that the congress should be done by affirmation. The existing executives were returned unopposed and everything was done openly in the presence of security agencies and INEC officials,” the protester said.
“But what we are seeing now is an attempt to doctor the list and replace the names of those who were affirmed with names of other people. That is why we have come here to register our protest.”
Another party member who participated in the protest warned that any attempt to alter the results could trigger serious internal crisis within the party in the state.
“We will not accept imposition. The authentic list that was affirmed during the congress must be respected. If they change the names or impose candidates, it will cause serious problems for the party,” the member said.
The aggrieved members insisted that the affirmation congresses were conducted peacefully across the state and reflected the collective decision of party stakeholders at the grassroots level.
They maintained that any attempt to tamper with the affirmed results would undermine the credibility of the process and threaten the internal democracy of the ruling party in the state.
The protesters therefore called on the national leadership of the APC to intervene and ensure that the original list of executives produced during the congresses is maintained.
They also warned that failure to address their grievances could deepen divisions within the party and destabilise its structure in Kwara State ahead of future political activities.
As of the time of filing this report, the state chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, had not publicly responded to the allegations raised by the protesters.
