Exclusive: Insider Alleges Wahab Issa Collected N150m from Gov.Abdulrazaq to dump Saraki

Exclusive: Insider Alleges Wahab Issa Collected N150m from Gov.Abdulrazaq to dump Saraki

By Ahmed Ajikobi

That Hon. Wahab Issa, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate for the Federal House Of Representatives, representing Ilorin East/South federal constituency has dumped his boss and political leader,Dr Bukola Saraki to work for the reelection of Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq is no longer news. What is news is that Issa, who once headed Saraki’s political machinery called Mandate, allegedly sold his loyalty to the governor for a whooping sum of N150 million.

A source very close to Issa told National Pilot last night that following his loss to Yinka Aluko at the National Assembly election, Governor Abdulrazaq sent some of his men to Issa to plead with him not to challenge the result of the election at the Election Tribunal.

The National Assembly election, it will be recalled, was marked with irregularities and malpractices and was widely believed to have been rigged in favour of the declared winner, Aluko.

According to the source, the governor’s emissaries were led by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Abdulrasaq Jidda. Issa, it was gathered, firmly refused to be persuaded initially. However, he reportedly soften his hard position when Jidda told him the governor was prepared to offset all he spent on the election.

 Encouraged, Issa, the source revealed further, told Jidda and his entourage that he sold his house in Lagos, some vehicles and other properties to prosecute that election. After a lengthy negotiation which also included that Issa would work for AbdulRazaq re-election, it was agreed that he would be paid N150m. To avoid a scandal the whooping amount will attract if it becomes public, the payment was tied to compensation of the government to him over his petrol station in Tanke, part of  which was affected by the overhead bridge under construction in that area.

Issa, according to sources, however refused to announce his decamping and honour other things agreed upon until his account has been credited and bank alert received accordingly. This ,the source revealed, explained why Issa’s formal announcement was not made until Wednesday.

” it was after he confirmed that the money has dropped in his account that he issued a statement announcing his resignation from the PDP ”  said the source.

National Pilot gathered further that some of Issa’s men however got to know the huge amount he was paid by the governor and this generated some grumbling. To avoid the situation from blowing into big crisis, Issa negotiated more with the governor and was rewarded with two slots of Special Assistant to the governor, one of which he allegedly gave to one of his siblings.

In the past weeks, governor AbdulRazaq, in his desperation to seal his re-election, has been dishing out money to buy over traditional rulers, religious leaders, transport unions, civil servants and top politicians, especially from opposition parties. Billions of naira, it was gathered, has been wasted on this project. This development however did not go well with the populace many of whom believed it will bring nothing but pains and sorrows to the state and the people after the election.

The opposition parties have been telling those AbdulRazaq has been offering money to go ahead and collect the money but cast their votes against him at the election. They said the money AbdulRazaq is spending does not belong to him, rather, the money belongs to the people. This position rhymes well with Kizz Daniel’s popular Buga song which states inter alia….” wake up…..collect your money….Gbera go get that mullah….Mo ni ko  kala,kala gbowo yen lowo dealer….Kilo kan mi kan person matter o, person wey don mad…..”

Wahab Issa’s picture which he took with the governor AbdulRazaq and his resignation letter from PDP went viral in the social media yesterday, drawing condemnation from most members of the public.

Issa’s letter which he personally signed  and addressed to his ward chairman of the party in Balogun Fulani, Ilorin South Local government reads: I write to inform you of my resignation as a member of Peoples Democratic Party with effect from Tuesday 14th March 2023.

“ I appreciate the opportunity given to me which made serve under various capacities under PDP.

Accept my best regards.

When National Pilot reached out to Issa through telephone call to get his own side of the story  around 12:07pm today, he said he was at a prayer event that he could not speak and asked our reporter to send him text message.

Following his instruction,our reporter sent the message to him at around 12:14pm.

The message reads:

Salam Alaikum sir, My name is Ahmed Ajikobi from the National Pilot. Sir, there is this information circulating around and I want you to clarify it. We learnt that governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq gave you N150 to buy you over Saraki. what is your reaction on this sir?”

When he did not respond, our reporter followed up with several  phone calls which he neither picked nor returned as at the time of filling this report.