The Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Rukkayyah Saraki has condemned the demolition of her late father’s property popularly known as Ile Arugbo (aged women’s house) by the Kwara state Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq.
Gbemisola who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state broke her silence for the first time over the unfolding development in the state following the revocation of the land and subsequent demolition by the governor in the wee hours of Thursday.
In a statement she personally signed and forwarded to our correspondent, Gbemisola who is a younger sister of former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki also condemned the “unleashing” of terror and mayhem on aged women who gathered at the site to prevent the demolition of the building.
The state government had defended the decision to demolish the building, saying the land was illegally acquired by the late Olusola Saraki, the strongman of Kwara politics and Second Republic Senate Leader.
But the Minister who joined other APC stalwarts and supporters in the state to fight her brother in the last election is pained by the seeming attack on her father whom she said she held very dearly.
She said the action of the governor was especially “disrespectful” to her personally as a member of the party since 2015 who welcomed and supported those who joined few months to elections including the governor.
Gbemi Saraki explained that she had kept quiet all this while as a loyal party member in order not to get into any squabble with the Governor.
She said: “Again, as a loyal and dedicated daughter of my father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, whom I hold in very high esteem, I did not want to express my opinion on the propriety of the Governor’s recent political actions as it would be seen as biased because the late Waziri is my father. However, given the turn of events and the violent nature of the Governor’s position, it is only right for me to speak now.”
According to her, the governor’s action should not be misconstrued as the agenda of the APC in the state.
She said: “But clearly by some recent steps taken, especially with Thursday’s actions, Kwara State APC must be careful to not allow a few elements with their own agenda, other than governance, to turn their personal vendetta into the official position of APC in the State. They must not be allowed to hijack the narrative of what our party stands for.
“The APC has, since its inception, preached and worked earnestly for genuine good governance, security, increased welfare, progress and development of the people, as exemplified by President Muhammadu Buhari, who in the face of direct provocation and deep personal attacks remains true to the oath he took to govern ALL Nigerians, in spite of allegiances.
That is why it is important that my silence is not misconstrued as tacit approval or support for the actions taken by the Governor.”
She condemned the actions taken on Thursday 2nd January 2020 by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq in totality “especially unleashing terror and mayhem on innocent defenceless aged women simply exercising their right to peacefully protest.”
“I call upon the Inspector General of Police to call the State Commissioner of Police to order — using security agencies and live ammunition to settle political and personal scores is NOT what the Buhari Administration is about. We must stand up against vindictive politics, driven by envy, motivated by jealousy and practised without integrity, ” she added.
The statement read: “As stated earlier, I chose to refrain from commenting on the onset of this landsaga and did so for three reasons: (1) I believed that this was a matter that would go through the rightful forum and due process to ascertain and establish my father’s legal rights or otherwise.
“My family individually and/or collectively have NEVER derived and continue not to derive ANY commercial benefit from that piece of land. At the end ofthe day, what is on that land is nothing — no block of flats that the family is getting rent from; no office building, no factory, or any other commercial venture. Just a bungalow where the old women gather and get their basic needs attended to.
“Nonetheless, were my father alive today, surely, he would have been saddened to see bulldozers in Ile Arugbo. However, I am comforted by the knowledge that my father’s good work and his respect, support and love for the aged, which was sadly lacking in the Governor’s activities of Thursday, simply cannot be erased by demolishing a bungalow. When it comes down to it, Ile Arugbo is a piece of bare land that holds symbolic value of what my father stood for — humanitarianism, and that doesn’t start nor end with a building.
“But after the events of Thursday when the aged women were tear gassed and shot at in the wee hours of the morning (3:00AM), I do not want my silence to be misconstrued, as mischief makers have used that silence to attribute false statements allegedly made by me.
“The level of force and violence that the Governor chose to adopt was totally unwarranted. What resistance to protest justifies firing live ammunition and tear gassing old women? Even my own personal home was not left out of the attack as numerous empty bullet shell casings and dispersed tear gas cannisters were found inside my home.
“I feel that at this point not only as a child of the late Waziri but as a member of the APC, I need to speak. I do so not only as a daughter but as a member of the party, to ensure that those thousands of members of APC who are Sarakites that supported the OToGe Movement are not alienated.
“In addition, I do so to ensure that the resounding victory that APC enjoyed in Kwara is not short-lived or diminished. Governments acquire properties, even compulsorily without necessarily resorting to unprovoked violent attacks in the dead of night.
“It is especially disrespectful to me personally, as a member of the APC since 2015, who welcomed and supported those who only joined us a couple of months to the elections, which includes the Governor himself, that my position as a member of the party was not given any consideration and/or regard when approaching this issue.
Furthermore, given how well and how long I have personally known the Governor beyond Kwara State, so much so that I have always regarded him as one of my older brothers. Even in the political arena, over the years, we have known each other as political opponents and allies and I have always accorded him respect which he has not accorded me.
“As one of the APC leaders in the State, I have consulted broadly and have also sent messages appealing to party members not to be provoked by this unwarranted assault on my late father. I do this with all sense of responsibility so that party cohesion and unity is not undermined by arbitrariness to rush into an attempt to settle perceived old generational family political scores. Revenge cannot be a policy thrust of governance.
“I am also using this opportunity to appeal to our teeming supporters to remain calm and poised and maintain peace in the face of unwarranted provocation. “Allah Bring about ease after difficulty” Q 65 vrs 7.”
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