Kwara APC Caretaker Chairman, Samari berates Bolarinwa for disrupting Stakeholders' Meeting

Kwara APC Caretaker Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Samari has berated his predecessor, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa for disrupting Wednesday stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Senator John Danboi-led National committee on Membership registration.

Speaking during a Press briefing in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, on Thursday, Samari accused Bolarinwa of acting on the instruction of Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The full text of speech reads:

“I have invited you, gentlemen, to brief you about some developments in our party. First, I want to thank the leadership and members of the National Caretaker/ExtraOrdinary Convention Planning Committee led by His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni who has been taken steps to put the party in good stead ahead of the state congresses and convention.

“On behalf of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee which I have the mandate of the Governor Buni Committee to lead, we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his giant strides and fatherly roles in the repositioning of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Similarly, we are elated by the performances of our humble and extremely kind Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. His Sterling performances across various sectors, focus and constant engagement with the masses have been a source of frustration to his traducers.

“Also, I commend our leaders and stakeholders in the Kwara APC who are standing up to be counted at this important stage of our party’s democracy.

“Gentlemen of the press, as part of the activities to herald the membership registration and revalidation exercise, there was supposed to be a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the modalities of how to go about the exercise in Kwara State.

“It is important to mention that this registration exercise is strictly coordinated by a seven-member Committee appointed by the National Caretaker Committee from Abuja. Our role as stakeholders is to support the committee led by distinguished Senator John Danboi to succeed in their assignment.

“The committee in its wisdom felt it was proper to properly brief all stakeholders in the party. The committee rightly generated a list of stakeholders that recut across all democratic tendencies within the party. Before proceeding, let me make it clear that there is nothing unusual about having tendencies within a party. Pluralism of opinion is healthy for democracy. What is not good is anyone resorting to self help or insisting on being right all the time. Such domineering attitude can only breed unsavoury development.

“Against this background gentlemen of the press, we condemn in the strongest terms possible the show of shame by erstwhile party chairman and my brother Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa and a few others who are clearly acting on the instruction of Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

“Hon. BOB’s decision to disrupt the meeting that he was invited to as a leader of the party was unfortunate, in bad faith, and definitely contrary to the spirit of the meeting. BOB was willingly invited like others. Forcing himself through the unauthorised door with the aid of some thugs is an affirmation of the threat by some youths who had threatened violence if they do not have their way is uncalled for.

“Violence helps no one. We can disagree to agree. As I said above, whatever that is happening is within what is accommodated in a democracy. This does not make us enemies to one another.

“We call for decorum and civility even if and when we do not agree on every issue as human beings. We sincerely apologise to the Senator Danboi Committee, which witnessed the show of shame, and to the government which had given us access to the State Banquet Hall. We also apologise to other invitees that were already seated at the time of this show of shame.
“It is important to also state that the unfortunate incident does not define our party and we urge any aggrieved persons to never resort to violence. We have since moved on.

“Importantly, we were able to flag off the party registration/revalidation exercise on Wednesday at the Adewole ward of His Excellency the Governor who was registered by the committee. The exercise will begin full blast on Tuesday.

“The stakeholders meeting, which had earlier been postponed, will hold before the week runs out.

“Notwithstanding some democratic debates that may be ongoing within the party, the APC is the party to beat not just nationally but also in Kwara State.

“We welcome contrary opinion as long as such is aired peacefully and within the confines of the law. We are not a party of dummies where one individual determines the destiny of and leads everybody by the nose in their own party.”