Which Way, Lai Mohammed?
Adversaries within and enemies without—this is the knot that Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, is facing. After showing himself to be a bulwark, particularly in the Buhari-led administration, cracks are beginning to emerge in the minister’s foundations, cracks that are forming from within.
Kwara APC is currently undergoing a shift in leadership with Lai Mohammed and Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq contending to emerge on top of the situation. Whereas the governor has many supporters, including Kwara senators, the minister has only himself to count on.
While there might have been altercations here and there, this is the first time Lai Mohammed is going all out to reclaim the APC chairmanship in Kwara from Governor Abdulrazaq. From the minister’s point of view, this is the natural course of action in the face of what he considers betrayal by the governor.
The crack in the wall became apparent when Minister Mohammed claimed that he, along with some friends and associates, had single-handedly funded the elections that won Governor Abdulrazaq his gubernatorial position, as well as that of the lawmakers. Consequently, as the information minister concluded the matter, APC had entered ‘one chance’ by having Abdulrazaq as governor. Unfortunately, these remarks did not sit well with some Kwara lawmakers.
According to reports, Senators Ibrahim Oloriegbe (from Kwara Central), Lola Ashiru (from Kwara South) and Umar Sadiq (from Kwara North) were the first to decry Minister Mohammed’s opinions, noting that the APC funded the 2019 elections under the judicious supervision of the governor. They also reportedly expressed their support for the governor, stating that he is the true APC chief in Kwara, not the minister.
While the 69-year-old man is losing grip of APC in Kwara, PDP members have used this opportunity to punch holes in Lai Mohammed’s armour. They described the minister’s ‘one chance’ comment as the perfect summary of the APC-led administration. By so doing, the PDP used the gap in his heft in Kwara to cut down the APC. In other words, things are not looking good for the minister.