Business Day (Nigeria)

Balogun- Fulani-led APC enjoins Buhari to recognise its guber candidate, others

- SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

The Ishola Balogun-fulani led All Progressiv­es Congress (APC) in Kwara State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and national leaders of the party to hand over the party’s flags to its governorsh­ip candidate, Kayode Abdulwahab and other candidates that emerged on its platform.

Ishola Balogun-fulani, the party chairman, who stated this while addressing journalist­s in Ilorin on Tuesday, pointed out that they expect President Buhari as a man of integrity, who has demonstrat­ed respect for the rule of law on several occa- sions, to hearken to their call because their positions have been recognized by a court of competent jurisdicti­on.

To do otherwise, he said, would not portray the party in good light before the court and and the general public.

The APC chairman added that it is on record that a court of competent jurisdicti­on had on September 19, 2018 delivered judgement on the controvers­y that surrounded the status of APC leadership in the state.

“In that judgement, which is yet to be set aside by a higher court, the court upheld our position to the effect that the purported dissolutio­n of our executive committee was illegal, and that the only state executive of APC in the eyes of the law is that one led by my humble self, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-fulani.

“Following from that judgement is also the fact that the only recognised candidates of our party during this coming elections are those who came through our executive . In this regard, the gubernator­ial candidate of our party is Alhaji Abdulwahab Kayode and we expect and hereby do humbly ask President Buhari, a man of integrity , who has demonstrat­ed respect for the rule of law severally, to abide by this judicial position.

“Therefore, we expect that as the president hands over the party’s flags to candidates, they should be to those who have legal ground to represent APC in the election, starting with Abdulwahab Kayode and down the line.

“To do otherwise will not portray our dear party in good light before the court, which will still look into the matter and the general public who will vote during the elections. The latest decision of the court on the case of Kashamu vs Adebutu and leaders of the PDP is a good example to guide our party in the present circumstan­ce”, he said.

The APC chairman, who maintained that the party remains the best for the country, called on Nigerians and especially Kwarans to cast their vote for all the party’s candidates across board, adding that “President Buhari deserves a second term to consolidat­e on the giant achievemen­ts he has recorded in all sectors of our national life since he assumed office in 2015.”

While assuring the president that the party is fully on ground in Kwara to deliver February 16 election for him, Balogun-fulani declared that, “the APC has enough achievemen­ts to campaign in Kwara State and we have daily amplified this and the reception we keep receiving daily assures us that we’re coasting home to victory.

“And it is this assured victory that makes us to once again ask president to do the needful in the eye of the law, in the eye of morality and in the interest of our great party.”

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