The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing Offa/Oyun/Ifelodun Federal Constituency of Kwara State at the National Assembly, Hon Tijani Kayode Ismail, has accused the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, of destabilizing the state and destroying the party.
Ismail spoke at a press conference in Ilorin on Wednesday in reaction to the recent comments by the minister.
According to him, “There were crises before the party’s primary election and after the emergence of party candidates, I could remember when Alhaji Lai Mohammed made attempt to replace the names of some candidates.
“He personally told me to step down for Gbenga Power which I resisted and he later sponsored Gbenga to challenge my victory in Court. Thank God, I came out victorious.
“Alhaji Lai, as a minister for six years, what has he facilitated to Kwara in terms of developmental projects to warrant him calling our performing Governor ‘one chance’. The truth is that he is out to polarize and destroy APC.
“Imagine, a minister supporting illegality within the party. We have a party chairman, in the person of Abdullahi Samanri, fully recognized by the Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee and the minister is here supporting Bashir Bolarinwa, to destabilize the party”, he noted.
Responding to the allegation of financial support to party candidates in the 2019 election as claimed by the minister, Tijani said: “I did not receive one naira from Alhaji Lai Mohammed. It was Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that gave us support.”
He, however, acknowledged that he was given a vehicle in line with the party’s arrangement, adding that 2023 will be about masses and not political merchants “going around blackmailing the performing Governor that is turning around the state in terms of infrastructure all because of their selfish interest and arrogance.”
The NASS member said: “We are glad to have AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as Governor and our party leader, and we challenge apolitical masses to judge us, based on their evaluation when it’s time.”
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