Large number of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ajikobi/Alanamu Constituency of Kwara state have protested against an alleged substitution of Abdulganiyu Olushola Alabi, the candidate of the party for Ilorin North West Constituency of the State House of Assembly in 2019 general elections.
They said the replacement of Alabi for one Abdulgafar Ayilara as flag bearer of the APC in the forthcoming election was against the larger interest of the party.
The protesters were drawn from Ajikobi, Adewole, Oloje and Alanamu wards of Ilorin North West Constituency, all in Ilorin West Local Government Area.
The protesters converged on the Secretariat of the party at Ajikobi Central Ward of Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state.
They asked the National Working Committee of the party to reverse the substitution of their preferred candidate, who they insisted, emerged through popular will.
Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as ‘We Pass Vote of No Confidence on Ayilara’, ‘Return the Mandate to the True Winner’, ‘Let Justice Prevail’, ‘We say No to Imposition’, the protesters warned against any attempt to subvert the people’s choice.
They described Ayilara as an impostor, who was drafted into the race to weaken and destabilise the APC in the constituency.
Speaking to Journalists, one of the protesters, Mrs Muhibat Quadri from Adewole Ward, said Abdulganiyy Alabi was validly elected as candidate of the APC in the primaries conducted few months ago.
She wondered why some faceless chieftains of the party went behind to change the name of the candidate and cautioned against any move that could spell doom for the party.
Mrs Quadri stated that Olushola has been a major financier of the party and has provided the resources needed for APC to thrive in the area.
“We are confident that Abdulganiyu Olushola Alabi stands a better chance to win the House of Assembly seat, because he has been our backbone and major financier in moving the party forward in the constiuency.
“To our utmost dismay, we were told that his name has been substituted with another name, Abdulgafar Ayilara after emerging as candidate during the primaries. We don’t know Ayilara. They should return the Mandate of Alabi to him. They should consider us, because in Kwara today, people can no longer be swayed by pecuniary gains but the integrity of the candidates is what concerned them”, she said.
Another member of APC, Isiaq Abdulrafiu, urged the party leadership to return the ticket of Honourable Alabi to him, saying Ayilara cannot ride on a stolen mandate.
He noted that Alabi was massively voted for during the primaries owing to his popularity and the support he enjoys from the people.
Abdulrafiu said members of the party were optimistic that Alabi, being a grass root politician, would give the people of Ilorin North West constituency quality representation that had eluded them.
He alleged that the candidacy of Ayilara was questionable because of his primary school certificate, which was said to have been forged.
Others, who spoke also pleaded with the APC hierarchy to rescind its decision to support Ayilara as candidate, maintaining that his choice would affect the fortunes of the party.
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,forging a primary school certificate praobably means he didn’t pass through the primary section ,if I may ask,how could he has successfully passed through the secondary and tertiary levels of his education without passing through his primary levels?