PDP is day dreaming, says Kwara APC chair

The chairman of the Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC), Bashir Bolarinwa, in this interview with ADEKUNLE JIMOH, describes the party’s victory at the recent House of Representatives by-election in Eki/Oke-Ero/Isin/Irepodun Constituency as a sign post to next year’s general election in the state.

Would you shed light on the challenge of reconciliation in the Kwara APC?

So far so good, some stakeholders and party members preferred direct primaries. Of course, there is no mode of primaries we opted for that will not come with its own challenges. But, I want to say that the direct primaries that we chose actually caused some ripples. It came with a long of challenges, but at long run winners eventually emerged. Winners emerged for all the offices. 24 House of Assembly, six House of Representatives and three senatorial candidate and the governorship.

After the primaries there were few hiccups as some people wrote petitions to the Appeal panel and a few of the results produced by the electoral panel were upturned. That also came with some few problems. On the whole, we saw the necessity to reconcile aggrieved members of the party. That led us to putting in place a very powerful reconciliation committee headed by Peter Olorunishola (SAN), an elderly person in the party. Notable party members served the committee.

But, one good development is that after all said and done, the reconciliation committee is now planning to round up its work with a unity meeting in which all categories of aspirants are going to be brought together, addressed and talked to openly. At the end of the day a communiqué would be issued out to tell Kwarans and Nigerians as a whole that Kwara state APC has become one strong, united house.

Have you been able to reconcile Shuaib Abdulraheem, one of the aggrieved governorship aspirant?

Now, the case of Prof. Shuaib Abdulraheem, there is little or no problem regarding that. Emissaries had been sent to him and the most elderly of all the aspirants, I do not think there is anything to border about his case. He has come out to say repeatedly that he remains in APC and that he wants his supporters to remain in APC. I think that some elders of the party have also gone to speak with him. So, I do not think he is pulling any string and I think he is also going to work for the party.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the recent election into the Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin/Irepodun Federal Constituency, calling it daylight robbery. What is your response?

PDP in the state is day dreaming. What happened to them was never expected. They thought that, just like their leader usually says, that he has Kwara in his pocket, he does not know that his pocket is already leaking. He did not expect what actually happened. So, I heard all they have said. APC won that election fair and square. And what happened was that we did all we have to do and because Kwarans too are ready for the freedom, they are ready to be liberated and free themselves from the shackles, stranglehold of the Saraki dynasty. That was the result that you saw in the by-election.

There is nothing to actually cry about. Although they complained about security agencies, but it is even very clear and straightforward. If security agencies had assisted our party, what made PDP to win in Ekiti local government? Why did we have to get a draw in Oke-Ero local government? What happened was that the security agencies did a good job. They made sure that a conducive atmosphere prevailed during the election. There was nothing like ballot stuffing or ballot snatching. People were allowed to move freely and expressed their free will. There were no clashes or molestations of any form.

That is what happened. But, they are not used to that. They are used to coercing people to do things against their wish. That is why they are crying over spilled milk.

But, they claimed INEC rigged the election for APC?

That is exactly what they used to do. They know how they have influenced INEC in the past. So, I don’t know where INEC had assisted us. They said they are going to the tribunal. They should go there and prove their case. I know that we won that election fair and square. No assistance from anywhere. We relied heavily on the people of the state that were ready to liberate themselves.

What is your reaction to the withdrawal of senatorial ticket from Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed, who incidentally, is from your local government?

We are from the same local government, but unfortunately, we are not from the same party. That is their own kettle of fish. But, it also shows and confirms all we have been saying all this while. If a senatorial ticket is withdrawn from the governor of the state, who is concluding his second term in office, and there is no reaction, it is to tell you that the governor has not performed. The party too has not performed. The case of Saraki and Ahmed is that of pot calling kettle black. They are birds of the same feathers. It is the case of Abdulfatah we are seeing now. Bukola will see his own come 2019. When he will have nobody to blame rather than himself; whoever they give the ticket to APC will by the grace of God win in 2019.

How confident is APC about 2019?

By the grace of God, we are very confident. We have our hope in God and in the people of Kwara who are ready to liberate themselves; who have seen the good from the bad. They know what has been happening in the neighbouring APC states. They have seen how rapid development is taking place. That has actually made them to decide that APC is the party to go for in the state.