KWASU VC: Akanbi’s appointment divides Kwara PDP
•Appointment can breed divisive tendencies – Party chair.
•Kola Shittu seeking cheap political relevance – Party cheiftains
The appointment of Professor Muhammed Akanbi as the Vice-Chancellor of the state-owned Kwara State University has caused division within the Kwara State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had on April 1 approved the appointment of Akanbi in a statement issued by Sa’adat Moddibo-Kawu, the State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology.
Akanbi who hailed from Kwara Central is the son of the late Justice Mustapha Akanbi, a former President of Court of Appeal and the pioneer Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The state chairman of the PDP, Kola Shittu in a statement issued in Ilorin, rejected the appointment of Muhammed Akanbi, describing the decision of the state government as capable of breeding divisive tendencies.
The statement read, “We wish to note that the recent appointment of Prof. Muhammad Mustapha Akanbi (SAN) as the Vice Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Malete, is lopsided and this shows Governor Abdulrazaq’s lack of regard and insensitivity to the State’s diversity and unity. And this is capable of breeding divisive tendencies in our State.
“This is so, considering the fact that Prof. Akanbi is from the same town and senatorial district as the pioneer and immediate past VC of the university, Prof. Na’allah who spent two terms of 10 years in office.
“KWASU as a state institution should reflect the diversity and even representation of the people of the state. This is why we hold that Governor Abdulrazaq was wrongly advised on the choice of Prof. Mohammad Akanbi.
“In the spirit of fairness and equity, one would have expected that a competent academic from either Kwara North or South senatorial districts would have been considered for such position. One would also wonder why Prof. Saka Mahmud, from Kwara North who has been in acting capacity for the past few months was not retained.
The state party boss said they joined other well-meaning patriotic individuals and groups particularly from Kwara North to demand that Governor Abdulrazaq should as a matter of necessity, review the appointment of Prof. Akanbi on the altar of fairness and equity, and to further strengthen the bond of unity and togetherness in the state, so that no senatorial district will feel marginalised.
The statement further read, “No doubt, Prof Muhammad Mustapha Akanbi qualifies and merits the appointment, but our position is that no tribe or district should be given undue preference over the other. Akanbi could be considered for another appointment where he would bring to bear his numerous experiences for the development of our dear State.
“Appointing him as the Vice Chancellor of KWASU at this present moment, demonstrates Mr Governor’s total disregard and insensitivity to the diversity and unity of the State. It is also an affront on competent erudite academics from the other two senatorial districts of the State.”
But stakeholders of the party dismissed the statement by the chairman, saying it is self serving and personal opinion of Mr Shittu.
It said at no time did the Party held neither any state executive meeting, nor any key stakeholders consultation, where the decision was reached.
The statement signed by two cheiftains of the party, Abdulrazaq Lawal and Ma’sud Adebimpe maintained that the said statement of the chairman was the imagination and opinion of an individual using his exalted position to seek cheap political relevance at the expense of party members who are the majority.
They said, “The purported Press Release was at the instance of the Chairman alone, Mr Kola shittu, it does not have the support and endorsement of members of our great party.
“As party stakeholders would have ignored the report, but to put the record straight, PDP is an organised Political party with a well coordinated mechanism of addressing Issues when it bothers on the rights and well being of not only our party members but the generality of our People as we always consult all stakeholders before arriving at a position.
“As an opposition party, we equally have our ways of assessing the government performance when it comes to serving the people as well as when it affects the well being of the citizens. Is not for us to applaud or condemn appointment of the government of the day.
“It therefore, suffices to say that the purported claim of Engr. Shittu was a misrepresentation of our Party in the state, we thus, dissociate ourselves from the unofficial statement.”
Also, the PDP Chairman of Kwara Central senatorial district, Alhaji Jimoh Adesina faulted the chairman’s statement saying the party never met to deliberate on such decision.
