Council chairmen to remain suspended

TRACKING____Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq yesterday extended the suspension of the executive and legislative council committees in the 16 local governments.

The governor’s spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement: “Governor AbdulRazaq has signed the Kwara State Local Government Councils’ (Suspension) Order 2020, which extends the subsisting suspension of the executive and legislative committees by six months.

“This extension, which is pursuant to the subsisting Kwara State House of Assembly resolution of June 18, 2019, is in public interest.”

AbdulRazaq had after assumption of office last year suspended the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) council chairmen for alleged financial malfeasance.

Ajakaye said: “The extension comes on the heels of the yet-to-be-concluded probe into the alleged financial infractions of the council heads and their legislative committees by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have exonerated Governor AbdulRazaq from the internal crisis rocking the party.

The executive council members led by APC Deputy Chairman Abdullahi

Samari yesterday held a COVID-19 protocol-compliant parley in Ilorin.

The meeting was chaired by Secretary to the State Government Prof.

Mamman Saba Jibril on behalf of the governor.

He assured the party leadership of his support and commitment to the development of the state.

APC state Chairman Bashir Bolarinwa was absent.

Samari said the rumbling within the party centred around failure of a segment of the party executive to render account or

interact with other members of the executive as equal stakeholders.

Said he: “We in the party do not have any problem with the government or the governor. Let no one deceive

the public that this is about the government against the party or the

party against the governor. No. The problem is between us in the state

executive council. It is not with the governor or his government. We

want transparency and accountability in the party. That’s all.

“As far as we are concerned, we couldn’t have asked for a better government because the governor has made a huge difference in every part of the state.

In my local government (Baruten), no fewer than six projects have been executed.

The last one year has been so good. What the governor has done so far within one year has been superb. I have heard the same stories from other local governments.

So, the governor has represented us well. He has been interacting with us well. We were always consulted and called to

make inputs in many of the things the government is doing. So we need to support him.”

Samari said the only link the governor might have with the internal

crisis was “him standing by us to call for accountability and transparency and that was after listening to all the sides from within the APC state executive council.”

His position was corroborated by the Secretary of the party,

Mustapha Isowo and other APC executive members.

Samari hailed Governor AbdulRazaq for meeting the party executives. He called for more of such.

Also yesterday, APC stakeholders from Kwara Central passed a vote of confidence in the governor following his

performance.

The stakeholders spoke at a meeting of the state lawmakers and

political appointees from the district. House of Assembly Leader Magaji Olawoyin described Governor AbdulRazaq as “our pride who has

delivered so well across board and has helped to reshape people’s perception of our region.”