Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq remains the valid candidate of the APC in Kwara State, dismissing the rumour that his election in the party’s primaries has been quashed by a Kwara court.
The minister, who is the leader of the APC in Kwara State, confirmed this to newsmen in Ilorin on Friday after meeting with the state executives of the party to access the level of preparations for the 2019 elections.
He urged Kwarans to discountenance the rumour making the rounds that the recent judgement of an Ilorin High Court invalidated the candidacy of Alhaji Abdulrazaq.
“I read the court judgement and there is nowhere in the judgement that spoke about our candidate not being the valid candidate. Of course, we have already appealed the judgement for other reasons but as of today
our candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, remains the authentic candidate
of the party and that is the situation today with INEC,” Alhaji
Mohammed said.
He described the rumour as the handiwork of the dissolved party
executives, who are working extra time to spread falsehood.
“The ‘Shaku-Shaku’ faction of the APC in Kwara State will try
everything and we hear they are saying everywhere that INEC has
disqualified Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. No! It’s absolutely false. There
is only one candidate of the APC and that candidate is Abdulrahman
Abdulrazaq, and as we speak today he is in Uyo with Mr. President to
launch the presidential campaign of the party,” the Minister said.
He also dismissed the allegation that he deliberately sponsored the
live coverage of the annual meeting of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants
Union on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in order to embarrass
the Emir.
Mohammed distanced himself from the allegation, saying he was
not even aware that the event would hold.
He blamed the PDP in Kwara State for the rumour, noting that the party
(PDP) had been circulating false stories about him in recent times in
order to pitch him against the Ilorin Emirate.
“The PDP in Kwara State is in panic mode. They are in total disarray.
They know they have lost this (forthcoming) election so they have
resorted to blackmail and outright lies. How could I have arranged a
live coverage for a programme I was not even aware was taking place.
“It’s a lie. I was not aware there was a meeting so how could I
arrange the (live) coverage. I challenge anybody who has any proof to
come out and say that I was responsible for the live coverage,” Alhaji
Mohammed said.
He disclosed that already, 10 persons have appeared in court in
connection with the mayhem that disrupted the event at the Emir’s
place, along with some miscreants who destroyed the billboards of the
APC in Ilorin.
The Minister said the people of Kwara are ripe, primed and ready for
change in the leadership of the state and that no amount of blackmail
could deter them from ousting the PDP from power in the forthcoming
elections.
