LAGOS – In order to nip fresh crisis in the bud, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said on Thurs­day that any act of indiscipline from members would no longer be tolerated in the party as it repositions itself ahead of its nationwide membership reg­istration scheduled to begin on Monday.

Yekini Nabena, the party’s Deputy National Publicity Sec­retary, gave the warning while responding to threats by the fac­tion loyal to Alhaji Lai Moham­med, Minister of Information and Culture, not to allow the membership registration ex­ercise to hold in Kwara State.

Daily Independent had re­ported that the crisis rocking the Kwara State APC had split the party into two factions with one loyal to the minister while the other to the state governor, AbdulRahman Ab­dulRazak.

The Lai Mohammed fac­tion also levelled an allegation of bias against the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State over the removal of the state Care­taker Committee chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa.

Bolarinwa, who is a loyal­ist of Lai Mohammed, was removed last Tuesday and replaced with Abdullahi Sa­mari, the deputy chairman of the party in the state, who is in the governor’s camp.

While calling for a reversal of the decision, the Lai Mo­hammed faction had threat­ened to stop the membership registration process and also vowed to work against the party’s interests in future elections.

However, speaking with Daily Independent, Nabena said the Lai Mohammed faction should show respect to the Caretaker Committee and its chairman, Governor Buni, and must align with the decisions taken by the party leadership.

He said: “The faction should show respect to the Caretaker Committee and the governor of Yobe State.

“Things are not going to be done the way they used to be. It will no longer be business as usual. Now, the party is re­positioning itself to win more members and win future elec­tions.

“Whatsoever faction they call themselves, they must align themselves with the directives of the party at the centre.

“They shouldn’t think they can behave anyhow because they have one godfather here or there.

“No, we are not going to tol­erate that. Everyone, irrespec­tive of your position, must fall in line with the party’s posi­tion. That is our stand.”

Also responding to the alle­gation of bias levelled against the committee, a member who did not want his name in print, said Bolarinwa was removed because the major­ity of the party members in Kwara called for his removal.

“The allegation that the Caretaker Committee chair­man, Governor Buni, was tak­ing sides with his colleague governor in Kwara was un­true and a figment of their jaundiced imagination.

“The decision was taken collectively in the interest of the majority. It is normal in a democracy that the minority will have their say but the ma­jority will have their way,” he said.

Our correspondent also gathered that the North Cen­tral reconciliation meeting between the gladiators is scheduled to hold tonight.

Expected at the meeting are Lai Mohammed and his group, Governor AbdulRazak and his loyalists, as well as Gbemi Saraki, the Minister of State for Transportation, who is also not on the same page with the governor.

The warring factions had stormed the national secre­tariat of the party in Abuja on Monday for a reconcilia­tion meeting but it ended in a deadlock.

Although the key actors failed to speak to newsmen after the meeting chaired by the Secretary, APC Care­taker Committee, James Akpanudoedehe, on behalf of the Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, the ruling party had referred the glad­iators to the North Central zone headed by the governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sanni Bello.

Speaking with our corre­spondent, Alhaji Biliaminu Shehu, a chieftain of the par­ty on the side of the minister, said they were going to the meeting with one agenda, which is the restoration of Bolarinwa as the party chair­man in the state. He said any­thing contrary to that would not be accepted.

He said the action by the Buni-led committee in the removal of Bolarinwa was unconstitutional because it was contrary to the resolution of the party’s National Execu­tive Committee (NEC).

“The Caretaker Commit­tee led by Governor Buni replaced the National Work­ing Committee (NWC) of the party.

“During the last NEC meeting, the decision taken was that the ward, local and state executives should be dissolved but the excos should be retained as Caretaker Com­mittee members.

“The questions we are ask­ing are: why should the Care­taker Committee led by Buni override the decision by NEC?

“Do they have more pow­ers than NEC? Why should Bolarinwa be singled out for removal out of the 36 states? What offence has he commit­ted?

“We are going to tonight’s meeting with one agenda and that is the fact that the Caretaker Committee should respect the decision of NEC and restore Bolarinwa to his position as Kwara APC Care­taker Chairman.

“That is the first step for peace to reign. Anything short of that is unacceptable.”
https://www.independent.ng/apc-warns-members-against-fresh-crisis/