Stay out of Kwara politics, Group tells Tinubu

…berates Gov AbdulRazaq

A group in Kwara State, Kwara4Kwara movement has called on the National leader of the All Progressive Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stay out of the state’s politics, saying he played a prominent role in bringing onboard the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who they described as rudderless, tactless.

The group also said the purported reconciliation of APC in the state is a mirage for the governor and his team.

The group’s convener, Ishola Abiola Pascal, stated this at a press briefing on Thursday in Ilorin, the state capital.

Pascal said, “It is public knowledge, that AbdulRazaq as a gubernatorial candidate was imposed by the APC power blocs during the 2019 general elections. For the unity and sincerity of purpose, he was rallied round by all other contending interests for the bigger picture and nothing else.

“To begin the construction of his own political dynasty, AbdulRazaq defiled the Party’s choice of deputy governorship candidate for a family business manager. AbdulRazaq’s late Chief of staff, Aminu Adisa Logun of blessed memory was also the Governor’s uncle.

“We are also not oblivious of how the Governor’s sister, Sen. Khairat AbdulRazaq-Gwadabe, who is surreptitiously, in connivance with corrupt party leaders in Abuja, coordinating the illegal hijack of the party leadership in the State is also making appointments into government ministries, departments and agencies in Kwara state, as though the governance of the State is the AbdulRazaq’s family patrimony. Lately, Gov. AbdulRazaq appointed his cousin as the Accountant General of the State. We are, to say the least disappointed that AbdulRazaq proved naysayers who believed his aspiration was simply to satisfy and settle scores between his family and the Sarakis right.

“We are however dismayed, that for a man, who have criminalized every individual who painstakingly sacrificed to bring him to power but chose to stamp the truth on its head as either power-hungry or public-fund-hungry, is now the same person pretending to seek reconciliation with same set of people he has assaulted politically so badly, in the last three years.

“It is however not surprising Gov. AbdulRazaq feel comfortable believing the same people he cheated, oppressed and tried to subjugate politically will easily give in to his antics to be used in pursuit of his second term ambition, understanding when people behave selfishly, they have a reliable ally to keep their self-image well-polished — their own memory. Because memory misfires actually help selfish people like Gov. AbdulRazaq and his cohorts maintain their self image.

Speaking on the reconciliation exercise mulled by Tinubu during a visit of some party chieftains to him, Pascal said, “We however want to categorically state, that the purported reconciliation of APC in Kwara state is a mirage for chronic betrayers, led by Gov. AbdulRazaq.

“Of particular concern to us, is the recent meetings of warring APC factions with the National Leader of the Party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who purportedly mulled the idea of reconciliation. We are then prompted to ask; is Asiwaju just aware of Kwara APC crisis that has lingered for over two (2) years while away in London? Why is the call for reconciliation coming now? In the interest of Kwarans or to satisfy personal political egos come 2023?

“Asiwaju may find it interesting to know, if he was not told by the stakeholders who visited him in Lagos, that Gov. AbdulRazaq and his disciples have always condemned allegiance of Kwara as Northern state to Tinubu being a South Westerner. We indulge Asiwaju to leave us to deal with the chameleonic character he was instrumental to imposing through the back door on Kwarans in 2019, which became a monster.

“Asiwaju was never concerned about solving the problem he helped created, until now that elections are approaching. Is it for him to use Kwara to strengthen his own political chances or in whose interest?

“We are worried that APC stakeholders still have any iota of hope in either the APC National Leadership or any of its stalwarts to bring forth justice and fairness to the Kwara APC, after they have all either compromised or stood akimbo while members of the party were subjected to political humiliation, which led to degeneration of the crisis. More so, that they, including Asiwaju were part of the genesis of the problem. Yet, watch us live with the agonizing political situation for over two (2) years. Can there be peace without justice?

“As much as Asiwaju Tinubu and co are well respected Party leaders, they have only demonstrated that Kwara matters is only of concern to them when they need us for politics. Since they have shown no concern about how we have faired with the problem they created for us in the imposed AbdulRazaq because of Asiwaju’s personal relationship with Dr. Alimi, we are convinced anyone from Kwara have no business considering them as options to resolving our problems. They do not have votes in Kwara, hence, shouldn’t be our determinant factors.

“Gov. AbdulRazaq never and will never respect anyone in Kwara because he got his ticket through a dirty route, with Tinubu as facilitator, and Lai Mohammed as executor here in Kwara. He is confident of plying that same route again, but we say “NEVER AGAIN”. Now, it is Kwara for Kwara! We shall hold our destinies in our own hands.

“It is more saddening that Asiwaju played prominent roles in bringing onboard the rudderless, tactless Governor who’s being running Kwara affairs like a private business, this much was confirmed by his ill-fated embarrassment tagged interview published by Thisday Newspaper, wherein all he could ululate about are petty and mundane inconsequential issues, relegating the plight of the long suffering Kwara masses to the back burner.

“This is a clear pointer to reasoning within government and political circles, all that concerns them is how to share the spoils of office and war booty and never about how to deliver on the Otoge campaign promises, on which was the pact which Kwarans voted massively against the deposed dynasty.

“More disturbing is the lacklustre and lackadaisical approach of the two (2) ministers (Alh. Lai Muh’d and Sen. Gbemisola Saraki) and indeed all other appointees to take charge and galvanise party members appropriately when the Governor started exhibiting his long time divisive tendencies.

“Their lack of bravery has affected the party in ways better not imagined.  We are tired of being politically entangled by reckless ‘stakeholders’, if we can sacrifice our lives and personal earning to pan-Kwaran course, we see no reason why the Ministers who are some of the biggest beneficiaries of OTOGE not stick out their necks in defense of the truth.

“One of the major thematic legs on which the Otoge crusade rested on was the resistance of majority of the Kwara populace to totalitarianism as exemplified by unprogressive and selfish godfatherism which was synonymous with the deposed Saraki dynasty, it is rather sardonic that the supposed progressives of today, have found solace in another godfather, who ironically isn’t a Kwaran, thus not wearing and never worn our shoes and couldn’t have had a full grasp of how and where the shoe pinches, yet he’s supposed to be the problem solver.

“Our agitation is not about politicians fighting themselves, it’s about the Kwara masses whose sociopolitical dignity are at stake and who were deprived of dividends of democracy yesterday and today, as Gov. AbdulRazaq have so far done nothing spectacular to deviate from the past; No respect for rule of law, institutional corruption remains more pronounced and structural decadence abounds across all sectors of the State.

“While politicians are running around for unholy reconciliation, the plight of the long suffering Kwara masses, who gave their all to the Otoge struggle in anticipation of better days ahead, have been left in the rain, to continue the decades old neglect, insensitive to their plight among others.

Rating the current government performance so far, the group said, “The Otoge government has sustained and upped the maladministration that necessitated the sacking of the Saraki dynasty, yet the supposed Otoge baby has continued to dehumanize the Kwara workforce by refusing to fully implement the minimum wage, promotion arrears, victimization of civil servants with dissenting opinion among others.

“Of grave concern is the growing spate of insecurity, avoidable killings and lack of respect for human lives. Kwara State is now under siege from all angles, with agents and merchants of deaths reigning supreme.

“If cultists aren’t beheading one another, bandits are running rampage on farms, Kidnappers have made all our highways unsafe and even our major towns and villages inhabitable, yet the political elite have all cowardly turned a blind eye.

“In the same vein, the lack of due process and non-adherence to rules and regulations, is antithetical to the foundation on which OTOGE is built. There are several weighty corruption, diversion and contract racketeering allegations hanging on the neck of the government which is barely 3 years old, this is definitely not the promise we made to electorates. It is also worthy of note that Gov. AdulRazaq, in the history of Kwara state has accumulated the highest debt profile in the history of Kwara, with nothing to show for it. The SUBEB schools renovation he could brandish are Federal Government funded projects.

“While all these egoistic and megalomaniac shenanigans are going on in the (mis)ruling All Progressives Congress, the supposed leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party is also busy playing the proverbial hunter’s dog, they’ve refused to learn from the OTOGE reality.

“They have remained glued to the traits of highhandedness, dictatorial tendencies which formed the fulcrum of Kwara masses’ decision to historically send them packing in a rather humiliating fashion. It is rather unfortunate that the humiliating and humbling defeat has failed to inculcate in them, democratic world best practices of consensus building, respect for majority wish, among others.

“A supposed leading opposition political party is more interested in latching on trivial political issues than engaging the directionless government of AbdulRazaq pragmatically and ensuring the government is on its toes like the erstwhile opposition checkmated them. Hence, proving the validity of the ‘Egypt’ the dramatis persona in the party were christened.

“It is on this note, we at the Kwara for Kwara (K4K) Movement will be constituting a statewide consultation team, comprising of experienced, credible and conscientious young, energetic and visionary people, with proven record of integrity, which will be inaugurated to consult widely, dissect the Kwara polity and come up with a workable youth-centric marshal plan, with regards the short and long term political future of the State, which invariably affects all facets of lives of the people of Kwara state.”