From Alfred Babs, Ilorin

A member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, representing Ojomu/Balogun constituency of Offa, Hon. Saheed Popoola has expressed fear over the unending crisis rocking the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) saying that it may lead to the end of the government formed by the party in the state.

Popoola who is a member of the “APC Loyal” (Lai Mohammed group in Kwara state) made the observation while answering questions at the Kwara NUJ Correspondents’  Chapel Personality Interview Programme ‘Newskeg’  on Sunday in Ilorin.

He said, “It’s obvious that we have a lot of divides in Kwara APC, we are in two factions, and I will keep saying it that the basis of the division is the leader of the party ‘Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’ who supposed to be a unifying factor, but unfortunately he is the divider of the party, this, I said in many foray and I can say it anywhere”

“We started the Otoge struggle with a lot of efforts all of us did it together with one mind, but at the end of the day, immediately we came on board, what we heard from the Governor was that Alhaji Lai Mohammed did not work for me, I want to remove Hon Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB) as party chairman, Saheed Popoola must not be speaker, something that all of us did together in unison, but at the end of the day, this is what resulted to ‘APC Loyal’ that are led by our chairman Hon.

“Who knows, the crisis started by the Governor might even be intentional, in order for him to be on top of all affairs, because when you are together with somebody like Lai Mohammed, BOB, Professor Shuaib Oba AbdulRaheem, Akogun Oyedepo and others with sharp intellect, when you are in meeting with them, you would know that you are talking to intellectuals and you can not just tell them anything, they won’t take it. So, he decided to cause crisis, in order for him to dodge us through that way”

“Unfortunately, the National leadership of our party did not do well in this crisis, and I keep saying it that our crisis is likely to be the beginning of the end of APC in Kwara State, because even the National Caretaker Committee that supposed to be the arbiter in this case have taken side because they said the party belongs to the Governors. But, they should remember that they took side in Adamawa and Bauchi and they lost, if it remains like that in this state, it’s likely that the same history will repeat itself”

“Governors are not God, we are not anybody’s puppet here, and that was the reason for the creation of ‘APC Loyal’ where can you see ‘APC Loyal’ in Nigeria? You should know that we are up to the game and ready, we are not leaving the party, we have fundamental right of freedom of association, what I am saying in this case is that, it’s the Governor that can do genuine reconciliation, if at all it will happen”

“We are APC Loyal, they said we don’t have party, no problem, during elections, they will know if we have party or not.
“The almighty Governors of Nigeria are our major problem in this country, they are too powerful and selfish, let’s look at what they are doing to the President on Electoral Amendment Bill, unfortunately, we have not known our enemies in this country, until we know that the ‘Governors Forum’ is the basis of our problems in Nigeria.

“Give the autonomy to the House of Assembly, they said No, despite that a law has been passed, president even said Executive Order 10 should be implemented, so that, the autonomy of House of Assembly and Judiciary can be implemented, they said No, for the past two years. So, when Governor said you can not  become a speaker, what can you do? 

“But I could have done my worst, if not for Asiwaju Tinubu, that called me and said, Saheed, I don’t want to hear any noise from kwara through your speakership contest, and I kept quiet. I have hired 3 Senior Advocate Nigeria (SAN) to go to Court and make sure that the rule of the House is entrenched, as the only returning lawmaker in the Assembly.”

Popoola who claimed to be the first person to contest election under APC in the country said, “I am the first person to contest under APC in the whole of Nigeria, immediately the party was formed in 2013, I had my election as chairman of Offa local government council, just one month after, so I have every right to talk about APC, because the way the party is going most importantly at the National level, it is not speaking well of progressive, you can see court ruling on the governorship election held in Anambra, and I said it when they were concocting figure that Andy Uba won primary election, I know of my friend George Moghalu that contested the primary and he did not even see materials for that election and you were declaring somebody a winner of election that never took place in real sense”

“The court now said APC did not participate in Anambra election. This is the work of our almighty Governors, I think they have hijacked the party and they have put the party on a part of sliding, only God can save APC at the moment. They have hijacked and destroyed the party, they can not even fix a date for convention. Look at how PDP is getting their activities right, maybe it’s because they have suffered a lot of setbacks and their sense is very straight now, they are doing everything correctly”

Back to kwara “Let me tell you, kwarans will further teach Nigerians, a better ways to vote in 2023, they did it in Otoge, and people now know that Kwara is not a state of the dullards. ‘That is how outsiders refer to us in the past’ this time around they will know better, by the time they see different party emerging at different level of elective positions, we are better informed and politically conscious” 

Popoola who was the only returning member in the 24 member 9th Kwara Assembly, eulogized the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu-Danladi for excellent performance in the Assembly.

  “I have no regret of not been the speaker, because I am enjoying, Hon. Yakubu, as if I am the one there. I love him and I cooperate maximally with him and other members. He is a young guy, but very very intelligent, excessively intelligent, he is doing what I could have done, if I happen to be the speaker.

“He knows where to start and stop but, unfortunately for the 9th Assembly, the influences of the Governor is overbearing, he said.” 

On the suspension of the only PDP member in the Assembly, Hon. Jimoh Agboola, “the opposition in the state is too weak, it’s not for Agboola to be talking, it’s the party that supposed to be shouting, I don’t know of a party that they would suspend its member and you keep quite, they just leave the guy to his fate. Let me now tell you why I would still repeat it that the leadership of the 9th Assembly is very fantastic, as I am talking to you, I don’t believe Hon. Agboola is on suspension, because he is taking his salaries, all his allowances, all his entitlement is being given to him by leadership of the Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu-Danladi, we even traveled to Kigali in Rwanda together, there is nothing they are doing in the House that they don’t call him, the only little different is probably, he has not been allowed to attend plenary. 

“Just like I said, there are some external influence on this matter, and they need to be cautioned, Legislative House is an autonomous arm of government. A member of a parliament can not be suspended by his colleagues from another constituencies, it’s a Supreme Court judgement”, Popoola affirmed.

Responding to question on recent visit to Tinubu in Lagos by some APC members in the state, he said that 12 members of the Kwara APC loyal group visited the National leader of the party when he arrived the country after the overseas medical treatment adding that “Asiwaju Tinubu received us well and chatted with us for over five hours. Let me say this, the only person that is bringing unity to APC today in Nigeria is Tinubu.”