Kwara APC group divided over anointed candidates

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

The Kwara State chapter of All Progressive Congress (APC) and a faction of the party’s legacy group comprising of defunct opposition parties, have disagreed over alleged anointed flag-bearers in the 2015 general elections.

The Chairman of APC, Ishola Balogun, said that the party had not anointed any candidate for any electives offices ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Balogun who stated this during a press conference in Ilorin, said that regardless of any internal mechanism of screening aspirants, all aspirants would still participate in the primary elections.

He said the sale of nomination forms for all elective offices was still in progress and that any party member interested in vying for positions was free to pick a form.

The party chairman said though the state APC was not against the emergence of candidates through a consensus arrangement, he said the party will still be subjected to primaries, adding that all electoral processes for the emergence of candidates will be adhered to.

However, the leader of the legacy parties that formed APC in Kwara State, Babatunde Ibrahim, in a statement titled “Enough of these grandstanding and lies”, alleged that the party was not transparent about it.

The group, which is not against re-election of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, however faulted the position of the party chairman.

They noted that their group comprising of defunct CPC, ACN, ANPP, would utilised all other options before defecting to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“We are at the lowest moment of our political career and feel seriously disheartened with the undemocratic treatment meted out to our aspirants by the leadership of the party in Kwara State. The Saraki structure within the party has cornered all positions with the active connivance of the leader, Bukola Saraki”, the group said.