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HomeFeaturesPress Release2019: Lai Mohammed should account for funds collected - Kwara APC

2019: Lai Mohammed should account for funds collected – Kwara APC

Lately, newspapers pages have been awash with the interview of Governor Adbdulrahman Abdulrazaq on how he was ‘dehumanized’ by the Minister for Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Our reaction as a party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, is to the disjointed write-up authored by the former Senatorial Chairman (Kwara North), Chief Sunday Oyebibiyi.

We would expect that issues of this nature be treated with all precision, rather than the recourse to sheer libel and uncouth language from an elderly person like Oyebibiyi, who was a former exco and ought to know some of the issues in context. Unfortulately, Oyebibiyi’s mudslinging adds little value to the statement or public debate.

Since 2018, three years down the road, it is necessary once again to explain the centrality of the crisis and sacrifices of the principal actors of the “O to ge.” Our party faithfuls deserve to know the truth about our present predicament. Knowing the truth does not mean apportioning blames or dishing out punishment. The truth is necessary for our liberation and progress as a party.

The present political tinderbox is a problem foretold. We expected Oyebibiyi and his co-travellers to reveal why the flag off of our then gubernatorial candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was cancelled by the party.

We have it on good note that Alh Lai Muhammed instructed the then party Chairman, Hon. Omolaja Bolarinwa to cancel the flag off because he was not informed.

Bolarinwa misled the exco into believing that an unfavorable security report was responsible for the cancellation. In fact we had to hurriedly recall some local governments who were on their way, for fear of attack by “opponents.”

Interestingly, we are yet to be convinced why the suspended former Chairman, Bolarinwa and the signatories to the party’s accounts refused to be audited in view of the verifiable incomes accrued to the party prior to the election.

The actions of the party in the state prior to the election caused the current crisis and contributed to the crack we are facing in the party.

There were allegations that the campaign funds meant for the state was cornered by the self acclaimed leader, Lai Mohammed, and distributed as personal funds, reason for the call to audit the accounts of the party.

The demand by the state Auditor to audit the party finances is in line with the party’s constitution which calls for annual auditing of the party’s income and expenditure.

As an exco member, I once advised during a meeting that the party Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa address the allegations and put the festering crisis to rest.

Unfortunately, the hot tempered party chairman resisted and things went out of control.

These and many others are actions that the issues that forced the crack on the wall through which the lizard entered, took refuge and hibernated.

Another reason for the APC’s crisis in Kwara has to do with how the party refused to accord the Governor respect and leadership position in the party .

Oyebibiyi should not forget so soon, during a meeting at the Government House, how Bolarinwa, rudely addressed our host, Governor Adbdulrahman Abdulrazaq. Despite the public knowledge of this disrespectful conduct, Bolarinwa, has not refuted the claims.

However, one can say without any fear of contradiction that right from inception, those who constituted the core of the party in the State were tailored towards the interest of Lai Mohammed and their path was parallel to that of Governor. Abdulrahman Abdulrazak.

Signed:
Alhaji Tajudeen Aro Folaranmi
State Publicity Secretary
Kwara APC
Ilorin.

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