The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kwara State has lauded the investigative report by one of the country's foremost Newspapers, the Punch Newspaper, which detailed Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State as the topmost among Nigerian Governors who have been running their states from diaspora, noting that the Party is vindicated about her stance that Governor Abdulrahman had since relocated Kwara state capital to Abuja since he emerged as the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) Chairman.
The Party in a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara (Sholyments), described the NGF chairmanship of Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as a curse rather than blessing to the people of Kwara owing to his willful dereliction of duties that the people had to endure in the hand of a diasporan Governor. This, Kwarans would recall, is a direct contrast to when Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki served in a similar capacity when he turned our state into a tourist attraction for most Nigerian Governors including heads of many African nations, apart from using the position to facilitate juicy federal appointments for the people of the state, including Professor Oba Abdulraheem as the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission.
The PDP in Kwara condemned with utter dismay, the attempt by the Governor and his media handlers to cover up his unavailability at home which is now eating deep into the state treasury.
"In a bid to cover up and deceive Kwarans that he is always around, Governor Abdulrahman and his media handlers have devised a strategy to always chatter private jets daily which will convey him to Kwara from Abuja to enable him to take photographs in choice locations and after the photo spree, the chattered Jets return him to Abuja where he will pass his night. It is these photos that his media handlers then share around to hoodwink the public that the Governor is around."
"Our Party is not bothered about the Governor's phobia of staying in Kwara but we are bothered about the negative implications on the Kwara treasury as it is estimated that more than N25 million is required for anybody to chatter a private jet from Abuja to Ilorin. If that is true, over N25 million is being expended daily on private jets to and fro Abuja by Mr Governor. It is safe to say such is reckless spending of Taxpayers' money as it means from May 2023 till date, the Governor may have succeeded in using N4.5 billion Taxpayers' money to hire chattered jets. This price is too huge to pay for Kwarans whose only crime was reelecting Abdulrahman to office.
"Our Party, therefore, urges Governor Abdulrahman to consider the suffering masses and return home to face the serious business of governance which he had sworn to uphold during his inauguration into office.
In further validating this report, Kwarans recall how recently, the hopes of thousands of Muslim faithful, including those of our revered royal fathers, the Sultan of Sokoto, HRM, Alhaji Sa'adu Abubakar III, and the Emir of Ilorin, HRH, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, were dashed with Governor's inexplicable absence from the Islamic Public Lecture that took place last week. Governor Abdulrahman who incidentally flew to Ilorin on a private jet went to the Emir's Palace to pay homage to the Sultan - a gesture many participants of the programme mistook to mean the Governor was ready to honour the two royal fathers by joining them to attend the lecture as he promised during the Palace's visit.
Regrettably, it was unknown to them that the private jet that flew the Governor to Ilorin was still running at the airport waiting to convey him back to Abuja. Hence, the state royal reception that is usually adorned to such Sultanate entry to our state was practically absent with only the Emir and a few private individuals left to shoulder all welfare arrangements for the entry and exit of the Sultan.
Signed:
Olusegun Olusola Adewara (Sholyments),
State Publicity Secretary,
Kwara PDP.
