We didn’t heed warnings on choice of Abdulrazaq – Lai Mohammed
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has criticised Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and his supporters over the recent leadership crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The minister made the remark on Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while commissioning the new party secretariat of the Bashir Bolarinwa faction of the party in the state.
The minister literarily drew the battle line with the governor when he openly criticised him and lamented, “We were warned about his choice then but we failed to listen.
“It has gotten to the point where we have to speak out. We have been pushed to the wall and we have no choice than to come out and expose these lies and pretensions.
“It was immediately after the governor emerged as the party’s candidate for the election that it dawned on us that we had entered one chance.
“But despite all the warnings from concerned party leaders and others who had reservations about his choice, our reaction then was that no matter what, his choice was better than where we were coming from. But we were wrong,” he added.
On the governor’s accusation that the minister and other party leaders did not account for campaign funds, Mohammed said he singlehandedly raised the funds used for the election of 2019, including the byelection that brought in Raheem Olawoye (Ajulo Opin) as a rep.
“Nobody gave the party a dime for logistics, apart from what I gave. I distributed 500 motorcycles and 200 vehicles; and many of the beneficiaries are seated here today. I challenge them to explain to Nigerians and all of you what happened to the balance of the N70million that Ajulo-Opin refused to give us from the N150million that I facilitated to prosecute the elections.
“When it was time for the governorship election, we didn’t see him (the governor) and we could not wait. So, we financed the election with the money raised. They got there today and forgot those who worked hard to get them there; rather, they are selling lies and dummies,” the minister added.