APC Crisis: I will Not Join Issues with Kwara Gov, Says Information Minister

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State and Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has stated that he will not join issues with the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, over series of allegations he made at the weekend about the funding and campaigns that cumulated in his victory in the 2019 gubernatorial election.

Speaking yesterday in a telephone interview with journalists in Ilorin on his reaction to the governor’s outburst last Saturday, the minister said: “Have you ever seen me joining issues with him? I will not join issues with him.”

The immediate-past state Chairman of the APC, Hon Bashir Bolarinwa, however, denied the allegations made by the governor that he was not consulted by the party before constituting the party’s campaign structure for the 2019 general election.

Bolarinwa said the governor was consulted and that he suggested a uniform campaign body for the party so as to save cost and make it effective, and even nominated Kale Belgore to be on the committee before turning his back to the party.

He added: “The governor has told the world the truth that he did not fund the campaign of the party. He was contacted, and after he approved the campaign structure headed by Chief Sunday Oyebiyi, the chairman of the APC in Kwara North senatorial zone, he turned his back and abandoned the party.

“It was the minister who funded the campaigns of the party for the 2019 elections.”

On the stolen donations made to the party, “I don’t know anything about that.”

The governor had during a book launch titled: ‘O to ge’, which captured the political development of the period, recalled the political trauma he went through on the mantra of ‘O to ge’ in the 2019 gubernatorial election leading to his victory, and how hundreds of millions of naira donated for his campaign was stolen.

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Kayode Alabi, at the ceremony, commended the author of the book, Mr. Tonni Oyeyiola, for his historic work by pouring out his mind about his experience while the ‘O to ge’ political campaign lasted.

AbdulRazaq said among others that his 2019 campaign was boycotted by members of his own party because he refused to fund an already organised campaign that he was not part of.

He also clarified that one of the PR outfits preparatory to the 2019 elections that he interacted with and later funded bore out the ‘O to ge’ slogan which he found very striking among others.

He said: “Since this book is about history, I feel it is important to set the record straight on a few things. First, the Otoge is the struggle of our people, and it did not necessarily start in 2019.

“Every Kwaran of good conscience owned and worked for that struggle in various ways. We were only positioned by providence to lead the final lap to break the jinx that dated back many decades.”