Kwara Central Lawmakers, Appointees Pass Vote Of confidence On Gov AbdulRazaq

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

All Progressive Congress (APC) stakeholders from across Kwara Central Senatorial District have passed a vote of confidence on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq based on his performance indices and his rising ratings and credibility among the people.

The confidence vote came on Thursday at a meeting of all the state lawmakers and political appointees from the region, with the House of Assembly Leader Magaji Olawoyin describing AbdulRazaq as “our pride who has delivered so well across board and has helped to positively reshape people’s perception of our region.”

Also on Thursday, the state executive council members held a COVID-19 protocol- compliant parley with at least 21 members of the APC state executive council during which the latter clarified that the crisis in the party has nothing to do with the Governor.

The parley was chaired by the Secretary to the State Government Prof Mamman Saba Jibril on behalf of the Governor, who reassured the party leadership of his support as well as his commitment to the overall good of the state.

The government-APC executives’ meeting occurred two weeks after 193 ward chairmen and Forum of APC Council Chairmen in the state commended the Governor’s showings in the last one year and pledged their support for the administration.

The rumbling within the party centres around failure of a segment of the party executive to render accounts or relate with other members of the executive as equal stakeholders in the ruling party, according to the APC Deputy Chairman in the state Abdullahi Samari.

“I want to say clearly that we in the party do not have any problem with the government or the Governor. And let no one deceive the public that this is about the government against the party or the party against the Governor. No. The problem is between us in the state executive council. It is not with the Governor or his government. We want transparency and accountability within the party. That is all,” Samari said.

“As far as we are concerned, we couldn’t have asked for a better government because the Governor has made a huge difference in every part of the state. In my local government (Baruten), no less than six different projects have been executed. The last one year has been so far so good. What the Governor has done so far within one year has been stellar. I have heard the same stories from other local government areas. So, the Governor has represented us well. He has been relating with us greatly. We were always consulted and called to make inputs in many of the things the government is doing, so we only need to support him.”

Samari said the only link the Governor may have with the internal crisis was “him standing by us to call for accountability and transparency and that was after listening to all the sides from within the APC state executive council.”

Samari’s position was corroborated by the State Secretary of the party Hon Mustapha Isowo; APC Senatorial Chairman (South) Hon Olayemi Olabanji; State Auditor Hon Femi Oladokun; State Youth Leader Hon Oyinloye Oyelere; APC Publicity Secretary Tajudeen Folarin Aro; Kwara Central Women Leader Alhaja Tawakalitu Shola Agaka; North Women Leader Hajia Zainab Haruna; State Physically Challenged Leader Baba Oloye Habeeb; Kwara South Youth Leader Hon. Ajibade John; and at least 12 others who attended the meeting in Ilorin, the state capital.

Samari commended the Governor for yet again meeting with the party executives and called for more of such interface.

The parley agreed on the need for government officials and party leaders to interact more on the challenges facing the party in the state, including the modality for individual contributions to fund party activities.

Speaking earlier at the meeting of the lawmakers and the government appointees from Kwara Central, Chief of Staff to the Governor Aminu Adisa Logun said AbdulRazaq has recorded many firsts in the area of human capital development as well as in rebuilding of collapsed infrastructure in the state.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategy Abdullateef Alakawa said the meeting resolved to strengthen their support for and solidarise with AbdulRazaq “who keeps winning more friends on account of his sincerity of purpose, humility, simplicity, and commitment to the overall socioeconomic development of the state.

Alakawa, who read out the resolution of the meeting, said the meeting also resolved to deepen the synergy and understanding between the executive and the legislature as well as bring as many people as possible under the same roof in the senatorial district.

“We also resolve to engage and carry everybody long in this journey so that government can function more smoothly under an atmosphere of friendship and lasting peace,” he added.

Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Assembly Hon. Alli Yusuf (Ilorin East) said he could mention at least three standard roads that the administration has done in the last one year in the local government, adding: “We are very happy with the Governor. As far as we are concerned at the Assembly, he cannot have any problem with us because he is standing with the people.”

Hon. Wahab Opakunle (Afon Constituency) said no Governor has brought as much development to his area as the incumbent, narrating how AbdulRazaq has totally broken the jinx of water crisis in the constituency.

Hon AbdulGafar Ayilara (Ajikobi/Alanamu Constituency), for his part, said the ongoing oversight function by the Assembly was their own way of assisting the Governor to achieve his mandate so that “nobody will derail his laudable agenda for the people.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters Saadu Salau said the mounting support the Governor has received from across the state mirrors his achievements in the last one year and public perception of him as a servant leader whose carriage truly reflects the spirit of Otoge — the Kwara APC campaign mantra which means ‘enough is enough.’