Leaked Audio: Iliasu attacks Lai Moh’d, Prof Oba, Oyedepo, over alleged gang-up against Kwara Gov

By Mumini AbdulKareem

A top chieftain of the Kwara State Chapter of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Hon Ibrahim Iliasu has accused notable members of the
party of allegedly working with some national leaders to frustrate
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq over 2023 election. Iliasu’s comment
was contained in a leaked viral audio where he addressed some members
of the party who visited him at his Ilorin residence last week
alleging that the Minister of Interior and immediate past Governor of
Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola were recruiting aggrieved chieftains of
the party to work against Governor Abdulrazaq in the state.
The party chieftain who was a former member of the 7th Kwara State
House of Assembly was heard in the leaked audio accusing party leaders
like Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, Prof AbdulRaheem Shuaib Oba, former Kwara PDP chairman,
Iyiola Oyedepo and Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola
Ruqayyat Saraki of holding a clandestine meeting with Aregbesola in
Ilorin to perfect the plot against the Governor.
Aregbesola’s recent visit to Kwara State was kept off the media as
there was no report of the visit even as a serving minister and top
member of the APC. He was however sighted by some residents at the
Juma’at service at the Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal in Ilorin
during the visit.
He was said to be on a mission to recruit the aggrieved APC members in
the state for 2023 ambition of former governor of Lagos State, Bola
Tinubu who party sources said is not on the same page with Governor
Abdulrazaq.
Some groups in the state chapter of the APC reacted to the issue at
the weekend with a call to elders in the party to intervene before the
crisis gets out of hand.
But speaking on the issue with this reporter last night, Hon Iliasu in
a telephone chat accused the member that leaked the audio adding that
it was a discussion that took place at his residence.
Hear him: “In the first instance, I don’t even know how the audio
regarding my discussion with anybody got into the social media. The
man who stole my discussion with those that came to hold meeting with
me will be liable to whatever I decide to do at the end of the day
because I am still thinking on it. He never sought my consent in
recording all that I said.
“I have nothing against anybody, I only said the fact that I know
about individuals in the party and what I said are facts. It has
nothing to do with the party. Am I not an APC member? So my comment
has nothing to do with the party.
“I only talked about the behaviour of some personalities and what they
are doing because I know some facts about them which I said. I have
the right to express my opinion as a citizen and the people whom I was
addressing came to my residential home. And like I said, let them go
and find out if what I said about these people is not correct,”
Illiasu added.
He therefore advised everyone to rally round the present
administration in order to deliver dividends of democracy to the
people as promised during the election.
“My message is very simple and that is we should all rally round the
government to be able to deliver the dividends of democracy to the
people, enough of this wrangling.
“When the Minister of Interior (Aregbesola) came to Kwara and held
secret meeting with some people, why did they not publish all the
discussions they had there or didn’t they discuss Kwara issue?
“If a whole Minister of Interior visited Kwara State and never deemed
it fit to reach out to leaders of the party… what is the secret
meeting all about.
“I was not even aware that he came until he had left. He (Aregbesola)
cannot leave Osun State to come and disorganise us in Kwara, he will
find himself to blame at the end of the day because we are not ready
to take instructions from anybody. So the people should continue to
give maximum support to the Governor and anybody that is trying to
subvert that will see the other side of us”, he noted.
Iliasu had earlier in an online statement that was personally signed
by him over the issue said he had no apology over the comments.
Part of the statement reads: “For purpose of clarity, I wish to state
unequivocally that as an astute and notable political activist, I did
expressed myself fearlessly to answer some questions that emanated
from the recent visit of one of the Ministers of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, who I learnt came calling to Ilorin recently, to organize
and recruit some APC Party Members in the State, who were aggrieved by
the choice of the Nominees of the Governor of Kwara State as
Commissioners against their wish, into the political camp of one of
the National Leaders of the APC, who is believed to be aspiring to be
President in 2023.
“I made bold to say that as a man who is committed to the success of
the present administration of the Governor of Kwara State, my comments
during the discussion, were borne out of the knowledge of a nocturnal
meeting that was held last week in Abuja by some of those being
recruited in the State to fight the Governor, with the due knowledge
of some Members of the National Assembly and the Ministers from Kwara
State.
“For those who are conversant with my political antecedents in Kwara
State, especially my passion for the well-being and success of the
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration, which many of us and the good
people of Kwara State had struggled to put in place, I am one of those
that would neither shy away nor stop at nothing, to condemn anybody or
group of people, who for no just cause at all, might be doing things
that are inimical to the progress and success of the administration,
without any prompting from anybody or quarters.
“All what I discussed with the group that visited my house at the
weekend were therefore reflection of my innermost feelings on the
assessment of the unveiling political situation in Kwara State as I
see it today and consequently, I have no apology about it.