Say Minister not a factor in their campaign

Members of the Kwara State House of Assembly have described as baseless and unfounded a claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that he funded the election of members of the Ninth Legislature in the state.

The members said the only individual who could claim offering the members massive support during the election was Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who was the APC governorship candidate at the time.

The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Engr Yakubu Danladi-Salihu while addressing a press conference to correct some misrepresentations at the NUJ Press Centre in Ilorin the state capital reiterated that the Minister did not in any form support the then APC House of Assembly candidates during the campaigns and election.

Engr Danladi-Salihu who spoke through the Deputy Speaker of the House, Honourable Raphael Olanrewaju Adetiba, a member representing Oke-Ero Constituency explained that Alhaji Mohammed was nowhere to be found at every point of the campaigns and election that produced the Ninth Legislature hence his claim to have personally funded their election is farther from the truth.

“We ordinarily should have ignored the claims but for the unsuspecting members of the public and posterity, the record needs to be set straight,” he said, flanked by several members of the Assembly.

The speaker said the briefing is jointly held on behalf of 21 of the 24 members of the Assembly who he said are convinced that Kwara can no longer be brought under any godfather or slave driver.

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“Lai Mohammed did not give any support in any form to members of the 9th legislature during the campaign and election; if he did, he should name who and what he gave out. Could the Minister be mixing things up on account of his old age?” he said.

“For God knows the reason, Lai Mohammed did not participate in any of our campaigns and did not also contribute financially to it. It was the then Governorship candidate of our party, the APC, who supported our campaigns all through.

“For the records, all the twenty-four members of the House of Assembly received financial support from His Excellency Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for the purpose of prosecuting the House of Assembly election.”

The Speaker maintained that the then House of Assembly candidates only benefited immensely from the support of the then Governorship candidate of the party, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who he said gave them all the needed support to emerge victorious at the poll.

“Apart from the governorship candidate (His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq), the other support was the sum of N500,000 each that we received from the national headquarters of our party, APC. Other than that, it was the Governor who funded our expenses including logistics, souvenirs, posters and other campaign materials. Even so, at no time did the Governor go about telling anyone that he funded our campaign”

The lawmakers advised the Minister not to drag them into any fuss he may be having with the Governor and leader of the part in the state, Mallam Abdulrazaq.

The lawmakers also restated unequivocally, their stand with the Governor, citing his humility, kindness, team spirit, commitment to a greater Kwara State, and his measured and peaceful approach to issues in the face of provocation as the reasons for supporting him.

Vanguard News Nigeria