PDP Youth Forum Tackles Olawepo-Hashim over Comment on Kwara Politics, Governance

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The youth forum of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State yesterday tackled a chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Hon. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, over his recent comments on politics and governance in the state.

The forum said that the Governor of Kwara State, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has reversed the gains of the past administrations in the state.

Olawepo-Hashim had on Monday during a courtesy call on AbdulRazaq, had said that the gains that came with the liberation of Kwara State in the 2019 elections would never be reversed despite the current schism by some political stakeholders in the state.

He maintained that the liberation of Kwara took several decades and inflicted several battle scars on the participants.

He added that “no matter the level of disagreement among the stakeholders, Kwara must not be allowed to go back to slavery and socio-political emasculation that had arrested the progress of the state for many years.”

Olawepo-Hashim was emphatic that “never again shall Kwarans be allowed to be enslaved or go back to the era that stunted the growth of Kwara and Kwarans.”

He extolled the governor’s policy of giving political space to youths and women, while also commending his efforts to restore the dignity of the state in the areas of education, infrastructures and human capital development. “In fact, going forward is the only way forward for Kwara,” he said.

However, the youth forum of PDP has countered the claims of Olawepo-Hasim in the state in a statement it issued in Ilorin yesterday, which asked him to wake up to the reality.

The forum insisted that his comments were at variance with the current situation in Kwara State.

The statement, which was signed by the PDP Kwara Central Youth Leader, Mr. Abdullahi Adangba, on behalf of the forum, noted that “the people of Kwara had seen the difference between the PDP and APC administrations and can no longer be swayed by the lies, propaganda, false performance claims and fake promises of the APC.

“I know Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim quite well, having worked with him in the past. He cannot say he is unaware of the disenchantment of Kwarans towards this present administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. He knows within himself that the governor and his party have failed Kwarans but was only praise-singing him to curry favour with him. Olawepo-Hashim is politically unstable and will do or say anything to secure his meal ticket and personal interests.”

He added: “Olawepo-Hashim’s comments are at absolute variance with the current situation in Kwara. Having failed to meet their yearnings and aspirations, Kwarans are utterly disappointed with the woeful performance of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s APC led administration and now look up to the PDP for a new productive direction. Majority of Kwarans are yearning for the return of PDP and cannot wait till 2023 to kick APC out.

“The more than two years of Governor Abdulrazaq’s administration has been a colossal waste. He has not only reneged on his campaign promises and made life difficult for Kwarans, including workers but has also reversed the gains achieved by previous governments and set the state backward.

“In the last two and half years, Kwarans have been confronted with an insensitive, deceitful, vindictive and ineptitude administration that lacks understanding of what governance is and has no commitment to fulfill its promises.

“The administration has become a butt of joke and will go down in history as the worst in our state. The Abdulrazaq’s administration is characterised by ineptitude, insensitive leadership, impunity, abuse of office, allegations of corruption including contract inflation and favouritism.

“It is, therefore, embarrassing for Olawepo-Hashim to assume that Kwarans will, in the face of glaring failure, misrule and incompetence, stick with this present APC-led administration.

“I challenge him to name any key developmental project that Governor Abdulrazaq initiated and has completed since he assumed office or any programme that has had significant impact in the lives of Kwarans.

“Olawepo-Hashim and his cohorts in the APC should apologise to Kwarans for the failure of their party to fulfill its campaign promises rather than parading non-existent achievements and embarrass Kwarans with jaded rhetoric and false performance claims.”

The PDP youth leader urged Kwarans, particularly the youth, “to remain steadfast and rally behind the PDP in the collective and determined quest to rescue our state from the misrule of Governor Abdulrazaq’s administration.”