Kwara APC Crisis: Lai Mohammed risks expulsion

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed may be expelled from the All Progressives Congress (APC) if the party’s Kwara South Youth Stakeholders follow up with actions on their threat after alleging the minister of anti-party activities.

“We’re calling for his removal as Minister of the Federal Republic, we are making our case to the presidency, and if that doesn’t yield results, we will begin the process of his expulsion from the party, says Olanrewaju Bolaji, Secretary, APC Kwara South Youth Stakeholders.

The group warned the minister not to try in Kwara State what he can’t do in Lagos and against distracting the governor from doing his good works, as they described his call for cancellation of party’s registration/revalidation exercise in Kwara State as anti-party activity.

“Rather than bad-mouthing and calling for the cancellation of the exercise, he should just leave the party in Kwara state and return to Lagos,” he added.

Addressing pressmen in Ilorin Wednesday, Tiamiyu Mumini said, “it is nonsensical and evil-intended to participate in a process and turnround to castigate it, demanding for its cancellation.”

He further described the minister as self-centered politicians who prefer choosing non-Kwarans as beneficiaries of his office. He sees the Minister as a man who prefer building his castle in the air rather than building his people as progressive politician would do.

The statement reads in part: “The party Registration and Revalidation Exercise had taken off smoothly. It has been adjudged peaceful, orderly and achieving the desired results of capturing party members’ data.

“To our surprise and utter displeasure, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammad came from Abuja, joined by the embattled erstwhile Caretaker Chairman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa to condemn and rubbish the exercise as he called for its cancellation.”

The group called the Minister “a misguided federal official” for using the official twitter handle of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to cause destabilization, turn things head-down and cause commotion within the ruling party in the state.

The statement also reads further: “Based on these recent happenings in the state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) and after careful consideration of the ugly development, here is the sole resolution of the Kwara South APC Youth Stakeholders: That Kwara APC Youths call for the removal of Alh Lai Mohammed as Minister representing Kwara State. The youths signing for his removal will present the case before Party Leaders and The Presidency because, if not, he will crumble the party structures.

The group itemized reasons for calling for the removal of the Information Minister thus: “We want him removed because he cannot have his son in Lagos State House of Assembly while he ventures on mortgaging the future of Kwara State Youths by causing chaos in the ruling party. He should let Kwara youths enjoy the kind of peace his son is having in Lagos rather than treating them as hangers on, hirelings and hired thugs.

“He lacks leadership qualities but a self-centered and self-serving politician that should not be allowed to continue his selfish politicking to the detriment of the state.

“The minister has not impacted positively on Irepodun LGA, Kwara South and Kwara State as a whole. We challenge him to come out and state what he Hadley done. No impact at all but a wasted five-year representation in the federal cabinet. This is a man who surrounds himself with aides who are non-Kwarans.

He stubbornly refused to pick Kwaran(s) as aide(s). Perhaps that is why he’s far from the realities on ground. He has around him, coterie of officials that are not known to our people.”

The youths reminded Lai Mohammed that “it is God that paved the way for Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to emerge as Governor not by anyone’s power. It is only God that gives power, and He chooses to give whom He wills. Hence, we do not expect anyone to come around and be playing God here. We are saying it loud and clear: No room for godfatherism again in Kwara State. Governor is recognized as the Party Leader.”