Mumini AbdulKareem
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubarkar Kawu Baraje, has said the party will provide very credible and appropriate opposition in the state to move the Governor Abdulrahman ; led All Progressives Congress (APC) forward for the progress of the state.
He also said the Saraki dynasty led by former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki will come back more solid and better in the state.
Baraje, who is the Proprietor of Baraje Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Ilorin, Kwara State capital, spoke at the weekend on the occasion of the institution’s graduation ceremony
According to him, his party will commend the ruling government whenever it engages in action that will uplift and improve the state and its citizens but will raise the alarm when it is doing otherwise.
He said: “As a politician, we are like footballers who go into a game and either win or lose, why we find it strange here is that for over 50yrs, the team I belong to have been winning and when we lost, it become strange but it is not to those of us who have the experience at the national level with pockets of failures here and there in one or two states. What we did was to go back and reenergise because he who fights and run away will live to fight another day.
“I will define it that we will provide appropriate opposition which will be good for the masses and encourage the government of the day, despite the fact that we are in opposition and if we see anything that is going to be detrimental, we will shout and make noise in spite of what anybody may say and whose ox is gored.
“That is the kind of opposition we are ready to play with this administration. If it is taking steps to alleviate the suffering of the masses of the state, we will let them know they are doing the right thing but if they are veering off the radar, we will call them back and say that is not the way and at least for someone that has been there for 50 years, no matter how bad it is, I would have done something at one time or the order that you can credit me greatly for how much less we believe that this administration has something to learn from us.
“So when we cry foul, it’s not because we want to be confusionists or mischievous but because we see something what deserves to be cried on. We are ready and have started to provide appropriate opposition to move this government forward. It is not about government but about the people and that is why we are concerned. It can be any other government tomorrow.
“The dynasty will go back and reorganise, we are repreparing, retraining and retracing were we have made errors if any and even where there are no errors and where there are some obvious mischief, we will block such areas. We will be looking out for mischief now and the only thing I will do is to warn mischief makers during the election because we have discovered where mischief was made and we are going to block such areas and bounce back fully”, he added.
He said “The last election is a lesson that when you have been playing game and wining and then you lose, God wanted you to see what you didn’t see and calling attention of all of us from the bottom up and top. We all have a lesson or two to pick from it for the benefit of our people”, he added.
He also condemned religious extremism, saying no religion, particularly Islam, approves of killing of other people in the name of religion as being canvassed by some religious extremists and bigots.
