Group Slams Abdulrahman, Says He Should Not Divert Attention from His Poor Performance

By Omowumi Omotosho

A civil society known as Kwara Advancement Initiative (KAI) has harshly criticized Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), over allegations that Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are planning to hijack the nationwide protest in Kwara State.

In a statement made available to the media by the Head of the Democratic Mobilization and Monitoring Desk, Hajia Adeola Bashiru, KAI urged Governor Abdulrazaq to address the deplorable condition of the state instead of diverting attention from his administration’s incompetence and failure. The group responded to claims by the Kwara State Coalition of APC Support Groups, which accused Dr. Bukola Saraki and the PDP of plotting to exploit the protests for political gain.

KAI denounced these allegations as “unfounded, laughable, and a show of shame by the APC government in Kwara State.” Hajia Adeola Bashiru stated, “Those aggrieved in Kwara State and likely to protest against the Abdulrazaq administration are APC members who are disappointed at the crass failure of the government to improve the standard of living of the people.”

She continued, “Kwara people were dismayed this morning to witness the gathering of a rudderless group, the Kwara State Coalition of APC Support Groups, who, after engrossing themselves in panic mode due to the ineptitude and poor performance of the Kwara State Government and the obvious anger of the people, decided to distract our attention by making spurious, laughable, and unfounded allegations against the person of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his party, the further

KAI further criticized the current administration, asserting that “the allegations are not only a futile attempt to cover up the failure of their party as a government in Kwara State but a shameful move to again accuse a man whose administration as Governor of the state brought unprecedented positive development.”

The group contrasted the Abdulrazaq administration with its predecessor, noting, “Even the present administration cannot match the achievements of its predecessor, the Abdulfatah Ahmed administration. Despite the huge amount of money coming to the state from federal allocation, IGR, subventions, development funds, and other aids, the Abdulrazaq administration has done nothing tangible, other than embark on haphazard projects, award inflated contracts, and mismanage state funds.”

Highlighting the state’s decline, KAI stated, “Statistics upon statistics continue to show that Kwara is on the decline under the present administration, the latest being the UBEC rating which attests to the poor state of our schools.”

“For a government that has woefully failed the people, one would have expected them to seek advice from previous administrations and start to devise measures to placate the people’s anger. Instead, they are busy embarking on a futile campaign of calumny,” KAI concluded.

The group also accused Governor Abdulrazaq of attempting to sway students and transporters by inviting them for parleys to secure their support in the September local government election.