Kwara PDP Condemns Local Government Elections, Labels Abdulrazaq’s Actions as “Political Suicide

By Omowumi Omotosho

The Kwara State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticized Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration for its handling of the recent local government elections. Describing the polls as “the most flawed and fraudulent local government election of the decade,” the PDP accused the governor of manipulating the results to impose his preferred candidates on the people, an act they claim amounts to political suicide.

“Daring to impose these fraudulent results on the people, Governor Abdulrahman and his minions have effectively committed political suicide,” the party asserted.

In a press statement signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the PDP expressed deep concern over the way the election results were allegedly written and announced from the confines of Government House, bypassing the actual votes cast at the polls.

“The concocted results, shamefully written and announced from the confines of Government House, contradicted the actual votes cast at the polls and represented an usurpation of the democratic will of Kwarans,” the statement read.

The PDP also condemned the administration’s attempt to discredit the 8th Nigerian Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, calling it a desperate move to divert attention from the government’s own failures. The party argued that Saraki, who is also the Waziri Ngeri of Ilorin, demonstrated a deep love for Kwara State, praising the people for their courage in voting despite the eventual subversion of their will by the government.

” Dr. Bukola Saraki’s reputation and political stature are globally recognized and do not need the validation of a government struggling with its own legitimacy. Saraki’s multi-sectoral reforms and strategic contributions to the development of Kwara State are legacies that cannot be diminished by the propaganda of a visionless administration,” the statement emphasized.

The PDP further criticized the Abdulrazaq government for its mismanagement of state resources, accusing it of squandering financial inflows meant for the development of Kwara. The party noted that the governor’s administration had employed illegal Transition Implementation Committees (TICs) to oversee local council areas for over three years, with little to no tangible achievements to show for it.

“No amount of lies, propaganda, or tantrums directed at Dr. Saraki can erase the glaring failures of Abdulrazaq’s government. Since 2019, the Abdulrazaq administration has mismanaged the state’s resources, squandering the huge financial inflow meant to uplift the people of Kwara by using illegal TIC to oversee the council areas for more than 3 years without any tangible achievement.

“The PDP finds it laughable that the governor thinks attacking Saraki—a man revered as the architect of modern Kwara—will divert public attention from his gross mismanagement and failed leadership,” the statement read.

The party highlighted that the governor’s administration had resorted to vilifying credible voices and prominent figures who dare to criticize its performance. This included attacks on individuals such as Chief Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, Alhaji Folaranmi Aro, and the Asiwaju of Offa. According to the PDP, these attacks have only backfired, as demonstrated by the public outrage and eventual apology issued to the Asiwaju of Offa after an unwarranted attack by APC surrogates.

“It is clear that this government’s penchant for attacking anyone who advises or questions it is akin to a hunter’s dog destined for destruction, refusing to heed its master’s whistle,” the PDP stated.

As a final remark, the PDP underscored that if Governor Abdulrazaq hoped to leave a legacy similar to Saraki’s, he would need decades of selfless, compassionate service to the people, rather than engaging in what the party termed “childish propaganda.”

“If Governor Abdulrazaq wishes to leave a legacy like Saraki’s, he will need more than fifty years of selfless, compassionate service to the people. No amount of childish propaganda can bring Saraki down to Abdulrahman’s level” the party concluded.