The member representing Share/Oke-Ode Constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Owolabi Olatunde Rasaq, has kicked against the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting held in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.
The meeting, which took place at the party secretariat in GRA, Ilorin, was convened to deliberate on issues related to the forthcoming local government elections.
But Rasaq in a strongly worded letter addressed to the Chairman of the APC in Kwara State, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, a copy obtained by Blueprint in Abuja on Wednesday, raised concerns over the exclusion of key elected representatives from Ifelodun LG from the gathering.
He highlighted that neither he nor his colleague, Hon. AGF Salaudeen representing Omupo Constituency of Ifelodun LGA in the Kwara State House of Assembly (KWHA) was notified or invited, thus excluding them from crucial deliberations and decisions.
He, however, Rasaq emphasized the importance of adhering to the traditional zoning system, which alternates the Chairmanship between Omupo and Share/Oke-Ode constituencies.
This practice, according to him, has been in place since the creation of Ifelodun LGA and is crucial for maintaining peace, fairness, and justice.
He pointed out that Share/Oke-Ode Constituency has held the Chairmanship position 15 times, including an uninterrupted tenure from 2016 to 2024, while Omupo Constituency has held it 11 times.
Given this historical context, he argued that it is Omupo’s turn to produce the next Chairman to ensure a balanced and equitable distribution of leadership roles.
” As you are aware Sir, both my colleague, Hon. AGF Salaudeen representing Omupo Constituency of Ifelodun LGA in the Kwara State House of Assembly (KWHA) and myself, Hon. Owolabi Olatunde RASAQ, representing Share/Oke-Ode Constituency of the same LGA at KWHA were not notified or informed about the said meeting called by you and as such, we were not part of any deliberation or decision reached at the purported meeting.
“As major and elected stakeholders of the party in the two (2) constituencies of our Local Government, we are amazed that we were exempted from the aforementioned meeting and we are also wondering who the other bigger stakeholders in our LGA if those of us elected and appointed into office were excluded from the discussions and decisions of Ifelodun LGA stakeholders including His Excellency, Elder Kayode Alabi, the state’s deputy governor, who is also not aware of the said meeting.
” His Excellency, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, the executive Governor of Kwara State has always been emphasizing peace amongst the people in each Local Government, most especially members of APC in the state. He has also emphasized zoning arrangements as it is peculiar to each Local Government Area.
“Consequent upon the above submission, I wish to state that whatever deliberation or decision that might have been taken at the meeting of Tuesday 20th June 2024, will not be accepted by the people of Ifelodun Local Government and therefore cannot be imposed on them
“Therefore, concerning the issue of reaching a consensus on the choice of the chairmanship candidate of the party in Ifelodun LGA, which we were informed was part of the discussions tabled during the reported meeting, I believe it is a well-known fact that the age-long traditional arrangement which has made the position of the chairman of the local government being rotated between our two constituencies (A and B), my position has always been through zoning.
” This has been an established norm since the creation of Ifelodun LGA and I am personally of the firm stand that the method of choice be allowed to continue. This indicates that my standpoint is that the chairmanship position in the forthcoming LGA election is zoned to Omupo Constituency in the interest of peace and fair play and justice”, he said.
