Kwara 2019: INEC Decision On Court Ruling Throw Two APC Factions Into Confusion

Bakare LukmanJanuary 1, 2019

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There was confusion in the camp of the Bashir Bolarinwa’s faction of the Kwara state All Progressives Congress (APC) following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to uphold the ruling of the state High court that recognised the Ishola Baligun– Fulani led executives of the party.

Reports gathered that the INEC has formally written the national leadership of the APC, indicating its intention to give effect to an Ilorin High Court judgement nullifying the congresses and primaries conducted by the Oshiomole-led Executives of the party.

The INEC’s national commissioner on voter education and publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye said that the policy of INEC and the law and the constitution mandated the commission to only accept the list submitted and signed by the national chairman and national secretary of the political party.

“But, he also stated categorically that the policy of the commission is to submit to the rule of law and due process at all times, stressing that the electoral body would always give effect to the judgments and orders made by properly constituted court.”

Okoye stated: “In relation to the APC in Kwara State, the court made very specific orders that the INEC should accept only the list submitted by a particular faction (Ishola Balogun Fulani-led) of the APC in Kwara State. That judgement was served on and received by the INEC earlier in the week by the law firm of Yusuf Ali &co.”
“There has not been any vacation or set aside, no court has set aside that judgement and since no court has vacated those order, the INEC as a law abiding institution will accept that particular list. We are accepting those lists based on the orders of a properly constituted court of law and that’s where we stand in relation to that.”

As the news of INEC’s decision filtered into Ilorin, the state capital, the camp of Bashir Bolarinwa APC were thrown into confusion.

Members of the factional APC were said to have cancelled all their electioneer campaign programmes earlier stated for Tuesday, January 1.

A meeting of the members of the group slated to hold at Amule zone of Ibagun ward in Ilorin East local government area was hurriedly cancelled.

The footsoldiers of a factional House of Representatives candidate, AbdulGaniyu Cook- Olododo who had gathered at the venue of the meeting returned home disappointedly after waiting for about six hours without their leaders and guest showing up.

It was gathered that the leadership of the factional APC held a consultative meeting to discuss the fate of their candidates, especially their gubernatorial candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, following INEC’s” unexpected decision” on the court’s ruling.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the court- recognised APC in the state,Hon.Ishola Balogun-Fulani has hailed the decision of INEC to abide by court judgement nullifying the Bashir Bolarinwa-led executive committee of the party.

In his reaction to the development, Balogun-Fulani described the decision of INEC to abide by the court ruling as a welcome development.

“This is a victory for democracy and we are grateful to INEC for standing by justice,” he added.

He reiterated that Hon.Kayode AbdulWahab remains the authentic and only recognised governorship candidate of the APC in Kwara and advised AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to stop parading himself as the gubernatorial candidate of the party.

Balogun-Fulani said the party would forward the names of AbdulWahab and other candidates who emerged through the primary election conducted by his executive committee to the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole and INEC as stipulated by the court judgement.

He said the party would soon flag-off its gubernatorial campaign and expressed the confidence that AbdulWahab would emerge victorious in the forthcoming election.