By Mumini AbdulKareem
Barr. Rasaq Gold, the counsel to the former chairman of the Governing
Council of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Dr. Ayinla Saadu Alanamu,
has said his client will approach the Court of Appeal, to seek redress
over the recent judgement delivered against his client.
Alanamu popularly known as Koroagba was convicted by the court for 7
years with one Salman Sulaiman, the Chief Executive Director of
Namylas Nig. Ltd, for allegedly collecting and giving bribe.
But top members of his constituents in Alanamu, Ilorin West Local
Government Area from across party lines rose in his defence adding
that the former administrator will prove his innocence in court.
Gold speaking with National Pilot yesterday about the development,
further expressed dissatisfaction over the jail sentence slammed
against Alanamu by Justice Gafar Mahmud of the state High Court.
Gold noted that he has commenced filing process on the suit adding
that the matter will soon be tabled at the Appeal Court, for better
legal clarifications.
He said, “We are already filing our processes, by next week, we will
approach the court of appeal. We are dissatisfied with the judgement,
hence, the need to seek further legal clarifications on it.”
In their separate reactions, former chief press secretary to former
Kwara State governor, Alhaji Mas’ud Adebimpe and Kwara All
Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart and former House of
Representatives member, Hon Moshood Mustapha, said Alanamu has served
the state diligently and contributed to the growth and progress of his
community.
According to the former CPS who is also the President of Advancement
Friends of Alanamu Central (ADFAC), Saadu Alanamu has been one of the
elders of the group that has worked tirelessly for the development of
the community and has contributed immensely to human capacity building
in the area and the state as a whole.
“He is not known to have dotted his live with acquisition of
inordinate ambition or ill gotten wealth. All the appointments he got,
he made his impact felt in the community in terms of employment
opportunities for the young ones and community service.
“He is very accessible and available in the community up till now and
it is sad that such a thing is happening at this stage of his life.
“The time has come for elites, political dealers and community
development leaders in the Emirat like IEDPU to rise up to the
occasion and rescue him. Having done all what he has done to assist
the community and the people and it ends this way, we may be sending a
wrong signal to those coming behind that selfless service does not
pay. Although I am not a legal expert, but I do know that on this
issue, the onus lies on the leadership of the institution to educate
us more on it. It has not been said in the allegation against him that
he awarded the contract in question to himself or he gave it to
another company from Kwara except there are other infractions. He has
not been known as one that he is a hustler. This is a litmus test for
the new Governor, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe and House of Reps
member-elect because Alanamu is one of the shining examples we have
around for very longtime and we have been feeling his impacts”, he
added.
For Mustapha, he said, “It is an unfortunate situation. He is our
brother and friend and one of the major stakeholders in Alanamu ward
and by extension, Kwara State. When the matter first broke, we taught
it was something that will fizzle out and he will be acquitted by the
court. But to our utmost surprise he was handed the maximum penalty in
the ICPC act. It is quite unfortunate and the whole people of Alanamu
are in very sober mood and we believe this is a trying period for one
of us. It could be anybody but we take solace in Almighty Allah to see
him through. I have spoken with him and I intend to visit him and the
lawyers are working hard to appeal the judgement and how he can be
bailed for now.
“We will continue to pray for him because I have known him for a very
long time and the cause of Alanamu his community is always paramount
in his mind and he is always there for our people.
“Right now that he is a member of the board of the National Population
Commission (NPC), he is doing his best to see how he can reduce
unemployment in our community. We pray he gets out of this trouble so
that he can get back to work and help the community”.
Alanamu, who was one-time ICPC nominee, had once informed this medium
that he is innocent of the corrupt charges leveled against him by the
anti -graft agency.
He maintained that he will face his trial diligently in order to prove
that the allegations are unfounded.
When our reporter sought his comment over the court proceedings then,
he said, “I cannot say anything now because the matter is in court but
while the case lasts, the whole world will know what happened but I
know up till tomorrow, I’m not guilty but innocent, that is why I was
in court.”
