Kwara APC crises: 11 loyalists of Lai Muhammed kicked out

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed may have driven himself into a deep shit as the suspension of 11 party members loyal to him in Kwara State has been ratified by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for taking legal action against the party and its state chairman Hon. Abdullahi Samari Abubakar.

Disagreement between the Minister and his State Governor has degenerated to the level that the minister refused to recognize the leadership of Samari Abubakar who is loyal to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that has the support of the national leadership of the party.

He went ahead to float a parallel faction of the party in the state with a new office.

The suspension letter, sighted on Thursday, was dated February 5, 2021, signed by Secretary of the APC Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, Sen. James Akpanudoedehe, and addressed to the Kwara State Chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Samari Abubakar.

Against the directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of 25th June 2020, where it was resolved that no member of the party should institute any court action against the party the 11 party members loyal to Lai had approached the court to demand the removal of the approved State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Abubakar.

The letter reads in part; “The Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee considered the decision of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee dated 5 February 2021, on the resolution of the Kwara State Disciplinary Committee to suspend erring members who instituted SUIT NO: CV/241/2021 BETWEEN JOSEPH TSADO AND 10 ORS VS ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS & 2 ORS against the party.
“Consequently, the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee ratifies the decision of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee and upholds the suspension of the following party members:
“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.