Who Governs Kwara? The relationship between Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki is generating a huge controversy as allegations are rife that the overbearing pressure of the Senator is hampering the running of Ahmed’s government and sustaining a massive legacy of corruption By Oluwasegun Abifarin I am a soldier, Bukola Saraki is the General and the Commander of the troop. As a soldier, I must simply obey my General wherever he directs me or whatever he directs me to do.” This was Ahmed in 2009, then the State Commissioner for Finance answering a reporter’s question in his GRA house in Ilorin on the allegation of being anointed by the then Governor, Bukola Saraki for the gubernatorial race. When the whistle was finally blown for the People’s Democratic Party’s gubernatorial primary election in November 2010, Ahmed simply obeyed his Commander. He not only joined the race, he emerged as the only fighter in the ring, courtesy of Saraki who had allegedly intimidated other contestants to drop their gloves. In the build-up to the primary election, Isa Bio, then a Minister of Sport, had, on the prodding of Saraki, resigned from his job, having been assured of the PDP ticket. Shuaib Abdulraheem Oba, a Professor and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, also riding on the assurance from Saraki, joined the race. The same assurance was given to Razak Atunwa, the then Commissioner for Works, who eventually emerged as the Speaker of the House of Assembly in 2011. Twenty hours before the primaries, Saraki summoned an emergency meeting of PDP stakeholders, including the aspirants. After hours of waiting for him, he drove into the venue and announced to party chieftains who had surged forward to welcome him that “we have agreed to field Ahmed, and whoever is aggrieved can go to the primaries.” Meeting ended, and nobody was courageous to challenge the “Commander”, not even Oba, a Professor of Literary Criticism. Ahmed later carried the PDP flag and coasted to victory in the April 26, 2011 gubernatorial election, even against the wish of the Late Olusola Saraki, Bukola’s father and godfather, who wanted Gbemisola, Bukola’s sister, who carried the flag of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, floated by the elder Saraki. Since Ahmed became governor two years ago, the magazine’s investigation revealed that he has remained a ‘committed and loyal soldier to his commander.’ Opposition elements insist that the governor was just in office for the past 24 months, but not in power. They cite instances of the governor rushing to the Ilorin airport to wait anytime the Senator is coming to town. They also alleged federal allocation to the state cannot be disbursed until the Senator arrives to give approval. The only time the governor made disbursement in his absence, the magazine learnt, almost led to a crisis. The disbursement order was reversed allegedly on the order of the former governor. Council officials across the State who spoke to the magazine lament the delay and the irrational disbursement. The era of former Governor Lawal, they said, was glorious for local councils, when, even with little allocation, they can execute project without resort to the governor. “It is very sad indeed. To him he has a mandate to lead Kwara, but it has been in trust for Bukola. This is shameful. He is a King on mat while the man with the crown sits on the throne. He is the custodian of the treasury but the key is with his lord. He has the pen but must be instructed when and where to append his signature. The governor is not a king, but a king’s servant,” the Late Biodun Kolawole, a democracy activist and Secretary, Kwara Freedom Network, wrote in a press statement late last year. In March last year, pensioners in the State jumped for joy when the State radio announced that the government was ready to pay the money deducted from their pension and gratuity by the Saraki’s administration. The joy was short-lived when the government reversed the decision allegedly on the order of the former governor. The pensioners had gone to court to challenge the decision of the government to deduct 50 per cent of their pension arrears, which is about N1.68 billion, for what Saraki’s government called “development project.” The State High Court ruled in favour of the government, but the aggrieved pensioners, under the aegis of Kwara State Concerned Pensioners, re-filed the suit at the Federal High Court, Ilorin and got a favourable judgement. Saraki’s government appealed the judgement, but lost at the Appellate Court. Dissatisfied, the government went to the Supreme Court, where the case has since been stuck. Counsel to the pensioners, Tos Gbadeyan, accused Governor Ahmed of using delay tactics to obstruct justice to his clients. According to Abraham Aransiola, the Chairman of the Concerned Pensioners, the former governor deducted their money without their consent. He appealed to President Jonathan and the Chief Justice of the Federation to prevailed on Governor Ahmed to release the money. A source in Kwara state government house also revealed that early in the life of Ahmed’s regime, some foreign investors came to Ilorin to meet the governor. After being ushered in to the governor’s office, for Ahmed to receive them, the investors caused a mild drama, when they insisted that Ahmed was not the governor they wanted to meet. They stood their ground until one of the governor’s aides suggested they should be taken to Saraki at the Presidential lodge, also inside the government house. “We know the governor....this is not the governor...the governor is one Dr...,” the source quoted them as saying..... To be cont
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 18:40:29 +0000
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