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Tag: Abdulrazaq

  • Schoolmates absolve Abdulrazaq of certificate scam

    Secondary schoolmates of the Kwara state All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq have absolved him of certificate scandal.

    They condemned the claim that the politician dropped out of Government College Kaduna.

    In a statement, members of Government College Kaduna Old Boys Association (GCKOBA) Kabiru Yaro, Abdulmalik Giwa and Sanusi Ramallam said that the claim was a thoughtless “smear campaign” just a day before the election.

    The statement recalled that AbdulRazaq bore the school registration number 1841 and was a member of the popular El-Kanemi House.

    “We, the Class of 1976 at the Government College Kaduna wish to strongly condemn attempts to tarnish the image of one of us, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in the name of politics

    “We are particularly worried that a segment of the media could pick what was clearly a smear message planted on social media and dignified same as a news story. This is dangerous and irresponsible.

    Read Also: 37 political parties back Abdulrazaq, others in Kwara

    “We state that AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (1841), who was a member of the Elkanemi House, did not drop out of Government College Kaduna as is being alleged by the mischievous elements behind the smear campaign.

    “We confirm that he duly sat his final secondary school leaving examination in 1976. The onus is on anyone who doubts this verifiable information to prove the contrary with credible evidence.

    “We urge our politicians to run issues-based campaign on what they have to offer the electorate. This seasonal resort to blackmail and downright falsehood serves no public good especially when such mischief is targeted at professionals and genuine businessmen who venture into politics to make things work for the poor man.”

  • 37 political parties back Abdulrazaq, others in Kwara

    Not less than 37 political parties in Kwara state on Wednesday openly declared support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in the March 9th governorship election.

    The parties under the umbrella of Kwara Like-Minds Political Parties (KLPP) equally threw their weight behind all the APC House of Assembly candidates at the polls.

    Addressing reporters in Ilorin, spokesperson of the parties Prince Oladele Sunday directed their members to vote en masse for all APC candidates during the Saturday polls.

    Oladele said: “We are at a critical stage in our country but most especially our dear state is already in political labour room and KLPP has joined hands with APC and other stakeholders in taking a successful delivery of liberated Kwara.

    “Today is not meant for an unending discussion but to let the whole world know that when the Kwarans are dying slowly in the hands of political tyrant, KLPP showed up. When Kwarans are groaning and gnashing their teeth under the bad governance in the state, posterity will be fair to us that KLPP showed up.

    “Finally, the members of KLPP hereby instruct our numerous members and appeal to the teeming voters in the state to come out en masse on March 9th to vote for all APC candidates.

    Read Also: AbdulRazaq: we’ll run transparent govt in Kwara

    “Let us all ‘show up’ so that we can all move from ‘o to gee’ to ‘o to pe.’”

    Chairman of APC Hon Bashir Bolarinwa said: “The forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections are equally important to APC.

    “It is important to us as party and the people of Kwara state. I want to say here that out of 55 political parties that are functional in the state, today there are above 35 have openly declared to identify with us.

    “What that simply means is that all of them as members of these political parties are directing their members and appealing to the people of Kwara state to vote on Saturday for the governorship candidate of our party.

    “Further to that all the 24 House of Assembly candidates of APC will on Saturday be candidates of their parties as well.”

  • AbdulRazaq to repeal law granting pensions to ex-governors, deputies

    The Kwara State governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday promised to repeal the law granting pensions to former governors and their deputies.

    This, he said, would free up resources for the masses, if elected into office.

    He urged the people to vote for him and all APC candidates for the House of Assembly in the March 9 elections.

    “We need to change some terrible laws. We’ll repeal that obnoxious pension law when we get to office,” AbdulRazaq said at his campaign stop at Omu Aran in Kwara south and at Pategi in Kwara north.

    He added: “It’s a privilege to become a governor of a state. But it is dubious for anyone to become governor and then earn a pension more than people who served the state for their entire lives. We can’t take that anymore. But we need enough lawmakers to push through the repeal of the offensive law.”

    The Kwara State pension law for former governors and their deputies has continued to raise eyebrows with the masses and civil servants often decrying it as unjust and a rip-off.

    At the rally, AbdulRazaq also said his administration will invest in security, local economy and youth empowerment to stamp out thuggery and bring government closer to the grassroots.

    “We need to work seriously. We need to revamp the economy of Kwara State. We need to bring jobs to our people. We need to address the security issues. Instead of funding police, they arm thugs. We will help the police by offering assistance they need to secure our communities,” he said.

    The APC candidate also promised to join the efforts to grant full autonomy to the local government areas, insisting that this is the only way to grow the local economy and halt the unhealthy exodus of people to the cities.

    AbdulRazaq is on a fresh round of campaign tours of the three senatorial districts, beginning with Kwara south on Tuesday and Wednesday and Pategi in Kwara north.

  • Abdulrazaq to repeal law granting pensions to ex-governors, deputies

    Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Thursday promised to repeal the law granting pensions to former governors and their deputies.

    This according to him would free up resources for the masses if elected into office.

    He urged the people to vote for him and all the APC candidates for the House of Assembly in the March 9 elections in Kwara.

    “We need to change some terrible laws. We’ll repeal that obnoxious pension law when we get to office,” AbdulRazaq said during his campaign stop at Omu Aran in Kwara South and again in Pategi in Kwara
    North.

    “It’s a privilege to become a governor of a state. It is dubious for anyone to become governor and then earn a pension more than people who served the state for their entire lives. We can’t take that anymore. But we need enough lawmakers to push through the repeal of the offensive law.”

    The Kwara state pension law for former governors and their deputies has continued to raise eyebrows, with the masses and civil servants often decrying it as unjust and a rip off to the state.

    Speaking at the rally, AbdulRazaq also said his administration will invest in security, local economy and youth empowerment in a bid to stamp out thuggery and bring government closer to the grassroots.

    “We need to work seriously. We need to revamp the economy of Kwara State. We need to bring jobs to our people. We need to address security issues. Instead of funding police, they arm thugs. We will help the police by offering assistance they need to secure our communities,” he added.

    He also vowed to join the efforts to grant full autonomy to the local government areas, insisting that is the only way to grow the local economy and halt the unhealthy exodus of people to the cities.

    AbdulRazaq is on a fresh round of campaign tours of all the senatorial districts of the state, beginning with the Kwara South on Tuesday and Wednesday and Pategi in the northern axis of the state.

  • Abdulrazaq: Saraki’s defeat has moved Kwara from Egypt

    Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman has said that Saturday’s historical electoral feat for the APC has taken the people of the state many miles away from Pharaoh’s Egypt.

    He attributed the victory to the resilient people of Kwara state, congratulating “all our lawmakers-elect for their deserving victory.”

    Mallam Abdulrazaq told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital adding that “together with our people, we have fought a good and noble fight in defence of our people’s dignity.

    “We have gone down in history as the breakers of the long-standing political jinx in Kwara.

    “We have also proven that our people, with their massive votes for President Muhammadu Buhari, believe in good governance, probity and decency.

    “Our feat is now being acknowledged across the world and that

    underscores the historical relevance of this development in our state.

    “But we mustn’t relent. It is not over until we repeat the same feat

    100% on March 9 during the governorship and House of Assembly polls.

    Let’s continue to educate and mobilise our people to understand that the job is only half-done at the moment. Total liberation comes only when we take over government in Kwara State through the ballot box and then use same to restore sanity and good governance in our state.

    “We thank the security agencies and the electoral commission officials for standing firm in the face of some last-ditch efforts to suppress people’s votes. We look forward to the same patriotic action before, during and after the March 9 elections.”

  • AbdulRazaq seeks clarification on Kwara’s N1b loan

    Kwara State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday sought more explanation from the government on the N1 billion loan it allegedly secured on the eve of the general elections.

    The government had said it obtained the loan after a rights group, Kwara Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability (Kwara-CGGA), urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the government over what it called a “suspicious loan”.

    “Having admitted to taking a N1 billion loan on the eve of an election, there’s the need for the state government to come clean on the legality of its action as well as to answer some burning questions,” AbdulRazaq said in a statement by his media aide Rafiu Ajakaye.

    The statement added: “The people of this state will like to know whether the government secured approvals for this loan from the State Executive Council and when it did. The public will like to know if and when the state government secured the approval of the House of Assembly for this loan. The public will like to know if and when the loan was approved by the Debt Management Office (DMO), Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the Federal Ministry of Finance, as required under the law.

    “Besides, since the government claimed to have obtained the February 13 loan to pay salaries and pensions, it would be fair to know if the government has now paid the salary and pensions since it took that loan.”

    It urged anti-graft agencies to investigate how the loan was utilised, given the state-wide suspicion that the money may have been diverted to fund the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elections in the state.

  • Kwara: AbdulRazaq calls for calm

    Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has said the news of sudden postponement of the presidential and national assembly elections which were earlier scheduled to hold today, came to him as a shock, saying the people of the state should be calm about the situation.

    According to him, the development is quite unfortunate  “but we should give INEC the benefit of doubt that the decision is informed by the necessity to ensure free fair and credible elections.

    AbdulRazaq  lamented that Kwara State has witnessed  a political drama in  the last few days in which  the discredited dynasty tried to undermine the electoral process through violence, vote buying measures and attempts to impersonate the security agencies, adding that the security close  monitoring of  these unlawful acts  has doused the tention in the state.

    He thereby called for calm and urged the people of the state to be vigilant of suspicious movement of persons or vehicles  which should be reported to the police and other security agencies with immediate effet. “As stakeholders in Kwara, we will continue to play by the rules and support all measures by the INEC to conduct credible election at the next dates. We appeal to all our teeming voters, some of whom travelled from long distances to vote in Kwara, not to be discouraged but re-energised to return to vote on Saturday,” he said.

  • Reject PDP’s candidates, AbdulRazaq tells Kwara voters

    Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has urged the residents to reject all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates at the poll.

    “They don’t have anything else for you. Go out on Saturday to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and all our National Assembly candidates. This is the only way out for us,” AbdulRazaq said at a rally in Pakata, Ilorin, the state capital.

    He added: “We must end their misrule this Saturday. Once you vote all our candidates this weekend, we can complete the work on March 2.”

    The Director General of AbdulRazaq’s campaign organisation, Abdulfatai Yahaya Gambari, told the people, especially APC supporters to shun violence and refuse to be provoked.

    “We are for peace. All we have to do is to use our votes to end the tyranny against our people,” he said at the rally attended by thousands of supporters and locals in the area.

    Lukman Olayiwola Mustapha, a former governorship aspirant, said the antidote to misrule and oppression in Kwara State is to vote for all APC candidates.

    At another rally also yesterday in Offa, AbdulRazaq called for massive support for APC in return for quick socio-economic development of the state.

    He said the APC administration would restore public confidence in government and secure the state, a veiled reference to the security crisis that worsened with last year’s armed robbery in Offa where over 30 persons were killed.

    The rallies came a day after AbdulRazaq visited Asa Local Government Area where he promised to fix the perennial water crisis.

    He also promised to tap into the N100 billion Federal Government’s fund to address the constant clashes between indigenous farmers and herders’ communities.

  • Abdulrazaq to Kwarans: Reject PDP’s candidates

    Kwara state All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has urged the people of the state to reject all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates at the poll.

    “They don’t have anything else for you. Go out on Saturday to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and all our National Assembly candidates. This is the only way out for us,” AbdulRazaq said at a rally in Pakata area in Ilorin.

    “We must end their misrule this Saturday. Once you vote all our candidates this weekend, we can complete the work on March 2nd,” he added

    Director General of his campaign organisation, Abdulfatai Yahaya Gambari told Kwarans especially APC supporters to shun violence and refuse to be provoked.

    “We are for peace. All we have to do is to use our votes to end the tyranny against our people,” he said at the rally attended by thousands of supporters and locals in the area.

    Lukman Olayiwola Mustapha, a former governorship aspirant, said the antidote to misrule and oppression in Kwara is to vote for all the APC candidates.

    At another rally in Offa on Thursday, AbdulRazaq called for massive support for APC in return for quick socioeconomic development.

    He said the APC government will restore public confidence in government and secure the state — a veiled reference to the security crisis that worsened with the recent armed robbery in Offa where over 30 persons were killed.

    The rallies came a day after AbdulRazaq visited Asa local government area of the state where he pledged to fix the perennial water crisis. He also pledged to tap into the N100bn federal government’s fund meant to help address the challenges faced by the Fulani communities and end clashes with farmers.

  • Kwarans in Lagos endorse Abdulrazaq

    Political slogans are easy to discredit, if the forces behind them are just the run-of-the-mill politicians. But, experience has shown that slogans, which become street language and resonate with all segments of the society may be hard to put down.

    This seems to be the situation in  Kwara State where O to ge (enough is enough), a political slogan adopted by the main opposition APC, appears to have assumed a life of its own among Kwarans at home and abroad. The term simply means that the people have had enough of the political leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki who the opposition accuses of stifling development and growing his political dynasty at the expense of the state. Saraki’s followers have responded to the increasingly popular lingo with another refrain Otunya, which means ‘onward with Saraki’s rule’.

    However, the O to ge movement seems to be gaining more grounds with prominent apolitical groups, and individuals expressing tacit support for a new dawn in Kwara. In a video that has gone viral on the social media, revered head of the Markaz Islamic and Arabic Centre Agege Sheikh Habeebullah Adam el-ilory was seen saying the Sarakis are not the only ones in Kwara and time is indeed ripe for a change of guard.

    “Many Kwarans condemned Mohammed Lawal in 2003, but it is now clear that they had made a wrong choice of a new leader. Lawal had his own shortcomings, which I told him one-on-one. But, the difference between him and the current political leadership is clear. So, others should now be given a chance to run the state too,” the scholar said at a recent lecture in Ilorin.

    Qomorudeen Ayeloyun, a multiple award-winning Islamic singer and Ilorin indigenes, has also released a video clip condemning, the “stagnation and stunted growth” in Kwara.

    “We have heard enough. O to ge, oh my God, it is enough. This state has remained the same in terms of lack of development and creativity in governance. We must move on now,” he said.

    This lamentation appears to be a global phenomenon among Kwarans, especially non-politicians. The old and young shout O to ge everywhere in the state,. especially during recent political rallies..

    The icing on the cake was the unanimous endorsement penultimate Sunday of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq by the Kwarans in Lagos, an adhoc amalgam of indigenes of Kwara in the country’s commercial capital and environs.

    The Teslim Balogun Stadium venue of the event was filled to the brim as indigenes of the state gathered in honour of AbdulRazaq. Attendees included businessmen and women, professionals, academics, artisans, broadcasters and famous artistes such as Saheed Balogun, Wasiu Sodiq, and Ibrahim Labaeka.

    Some of other prominent personalities at the event included AbdulRazaq himself; House of Representatives member Tunji Olawuyi; Muhammad Dele Belgore SAN; Barrister Kunle Sulaiman; Senator Khairat Gwadabe; former information commissioner AbdulRaheem Adedoyin; House of Assembly member Saheed Popoola; and former local government chairmanship candidate for Ilorin West Musibau Eshinrogunjo..

    Sodiq, one of Nigeria’s most famous Islamic singers and an indigene of Kwara, said the state must turn the page on a political model that “strips our people of their humanity while the state remains stagnant like a pond.”

    Abdul Muyideen Akorede, coordinator of Kwarans in Lagos coalition, said the event was symbolic as it was the first time indigenes of the state in the diaspora will speak with one voice on the political situation back home.

    “We have resolved to end the tyranny in our state Kwara. The state must be saved from the clutches of oppression. No physical development, no companies, infrastructure is zero. It’s time we ended this. O to ge,” he said, backing AbdulRazaq’s aspiration.

    “Kwarans in Lagos and the diaspora express their unflinching support for this movement. Kwarans are not lazy. We are a productive people and we condemn the underdevelopment in our state. Our support is contingent on the condition that the new administration will do things differently. On behalf of Kwarans, I assure you of our unflinching support. We will mobilise our people to vote for you in the polls.”