Breaking News: Over 20,000 APC members decamp in Kwara State

News reaching RovingNaija says over 20,000 members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have defected from the party to pitch their tent with another political outfit still unnamed as at press time.

The members defected on Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital to form a group they called “Third Force” in a move that may not be unconnected with politicking for the 2023 general elections in the country.

The MM Event centre venue of the decamping exercise along Offa Road was full to capacity as thousands of APC card-carrying members burnt scores of brooms, which is the symbol of the party.

Arrow head of the political “coup”, Kwara Central Senatorial Chairman, Alhaji Abdulfatai Abdulrahman in company with other party members told the gathering that the new party will soon be unveiled.

Abdulrahman, said that It is disheartening, shameful and preposterous that Kwara APC cannot manage its success even at half time of its tenure in the saddle of governance in the state.

He said the intra-party crisis has been on for long and unabated and added that the struggle for the soul of the party, which cannot be divorced from the 2023 political ambitions, has been the root cause of the lingering internal squabbles.

“A grand design that denied majority of party members the opportunity to register and revalidate their memberships across thee state is a 2023 permutation agenda. We can never cross our fingers and watch the game from the sideline,” he said.

Abdulrahman also accused Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasak of  unleashing a grand plot to plant his loyalists in all elective offices in the state to the detriment of the party.

“In addition, there is also and evidence that the incumbent governor has concluded every arrangement to ensure all elective positions from the wards to the state level work in his favour to ease his reelection bid as governorship flag bearer of the party.

“Accordingly, we the over 20,000 card-carrying members of the APC including senatorial chairman, local government party charimen, women and youth leaders, ward chairmen as well as APC stalwarts across al the 16 local government areas in the state hereby denounce APC.

“The hopes and expectation of party members to reap the fruits of their collective labour have been dashed due to the self-inflicted and unwarranted crisis. This was not what Kwarans bargained for”, he said.