Kwara PDP Chides Gov AbdulRazaq Over New Year Message

The Kwara State Chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has chided the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over his new year message to Kwarans.

In a press statement made available to our medium by Tunde Ashaolu, State Publicity Secretary of the opposition party (PDP).

The party said; as we end the Year 2021, we are only asking Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to rather than reel out false performance claims and fake promises, the Governor should use the opportunity of a fresh new year to reflect, show remorse, and apologize to Kwarans for the incompetence, misrule, insensitivity, and failure of his administration that has brought nothing but retrogression to the State and despondency to the people.

The statement reads in parts;

Governor Abdulrazaq should keep his New Year message and not bore Kwarans with false claims and hopes. What more can the people expect from a government that has in almost three years of its existence done so little or nothing substantial to impact their welfare, security, and overall development of the State?

Governor Abdulrazaq’s performance since his assumption of office and particularly in the outgone year has been lackluster and does not inspire confidence or hope. AA as he is widely called in Kwara has consistently proven to be an ‘accidental leader’ who was not prepared for governance and leadership. Kwarans continue to be confronted with glaring failures in all spheres of governance. The governor has not only ignored his campaign promises but has also refused to implement projects and programs that can stimulate socio-economic activities in the State and positively impact the lives of the people.

Can the Governor point to any impactful program or policy it introduced and any tangible project is completed in the outgone year? It is very depressing to note that Governor Abdulrazaq has not initiated and completed any significant developmental project including major road projects since he came on board on May 29, 2019. For 31 months, Mr. Governor cannot boast of any major project his administration has completed.

Abdulrazaq should know that history cannot be kind to him and his administration. How can history be kind to a government that is characterized by ineptitude, abuse of office, constitutional violations, disobedience of court orders, human rights abuses, and any other impunity you can think of?

The Governor and his men engage in unbridled looting of the State’s treasury through white elephant projects and inflation of contracts that are awarded to their cronies. Abdulrazaq continues to mortgage the future of Kwara through accumulating reckless borrowings. In less than 6 months, he has accessed more than N50billion loans with nothing to show for it. The governor has also failed to account for over an N300billion of revenues that have accrued to the State since he came to power. No financial discipline. No transparency and accountability.

Since 2019, Governor Abdulrazaq has deprived local government councils of lawful and adequate administration. He suspended lawfully elected council chairmen he met onboard which is a brazen violation of constitutional provisions and has also refused to conduct local government elections, despite the ruling of a competent law court that ordered him to do so.

The governor has rendered local government administration useless by foisting his minions on the councils in the name of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC). Those are subservient to him, are incompetent, and have run the councils aground, with practically nothing going on at that tier of government in the State.

Under Governor Abdulrazaq, Kwara’s security appears to be fast collapsing with several kidnap cases and ritual killings recorded in the just concluded year at different parts of the State. Kidnap victims such as Alhaji Jamiu Olawale, Khadijat Isiaq, Dr. Zubair Erubu, and a host of others are alive to tell their stories in the hands of their victims but the late Adegboyega Onijala isn’t fortunate to be as he was brutally killed by his abductors. In different parts of Kwara, especially in remote communities, farmers and other residents now live in fear of kidnappers and ritual killers.

Indeed, Kwarans are tired and have lost hope in this present administration’s capacity to secure them and improve their lives. They cannot wait till 2023 to commit Governor Abdulrazaq and the APC to the dustbin of history.

As we begin another year, the Kwara PDP calls on Governor Abdulrazaq to get down to business and take practical steps to address the challenges facing our people.