Kwara Governor, weapon fashioned against Tinubu – Group ” As FG takes a step forward, the Governor takes ten backward”
By Omowumi Omotosho
A pro-democracy group in Kwara, The People’s Advocacy Network (PVAN) has described the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as the weapon fashioned against President Bola Ahmed Tinibu.
The Group made the disclosure in Ilorin following the Supreme Court judgement granting local governments fiscal autonomy, and prohibiting Governors from sacking duly elected council chairmen.
Recall that in 2019, the Kwara Governor and NGF Chairman dissolved the local government council and replaced them with Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) which Federal High Court and Court of Appeal ruled as illegal, following a litigation instituted by an anti-corruption group in Kwara known as ENetSUD.
The statement reads “The Kwara State Governor is a weapon fashioned against the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, as FG takes a step forward, the Governor takes ten backward, and has not in any measure compliments FG’s drive for growth and addressing poverty.
“Abdulrahman hailed the Supreme Court judgement as a relief and we are puzzled on who burdened State Governments to begin with, for five solid years, Abdulrahman frustrated all efforts and calls for local government election in the State. He ruled the State like a tyrant and Emperor whose era has no end.
“He literally tore constitutional democracy, and trampled upon it with action, postures and even expressions, and until recent Supreme Court ruling, his stance was consistent and even led the defense against the suit initiated by FG on local governments fiscal autonomy.”
In the statement signed by its Deputy Publicity Secretary, Eng. Abdulraheem Olaitan, the group added that there is no way Abdulrahman would have been relieved by the judgment of the policy court, as he even appealed judgement against his government to conduct LG elections and dismiss the illegal TICs upto Supreme Court just to waste time, and continue to plunder the finances of the local governments.
Commending President Tinubu and AGF Lateef Fagbemi, the group described the judgement as a powerful instrument in repositioning local government administration, particularly in Kwara, and that dismissing the power of Governors on sacking of elected council chairman and restricting access of Governors to local government funds is a landmark achievement.
The group calls for the dissolution of State Electoral Commission and transfer of their mandate to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
