Yusuf Bakare, Ilorin
A group of lawmakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly has denied claims that Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, sponsored the law makers during the 2019 elections.
The 21 lawmakers, represented by Rt Hon Salihu Yakubu – Danladi at a press conference which held at the NUJ Press Centre on Sunday voiced out that Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s spate of lies is getting unbearable adding that they would have ignored the Minister’s lies and take it as another lie from Lai Mohammed but for the unsuspecting members of the public and posterity, the record needs to be set straight because “For Lai Mohammed, every day is another opportunity to tell a new lie!”
“Our attention has been drawn to an odious lie recently told by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed claiming that he supported and or financed the campaign and election of the 24 members into the Kwara State House of Assembly in the last general election in 2019.
“Lai Mohammed did not give any support in any form to members of the 9th legislature during the campaign and election; if he did, he should name who and what he gave out. Could the Minister be mixing things up on account of his old age?!”
The visibly angry law makers lamented that Lai Mohammed did not participate in any of the campaigns and did not also contribute financially to it adding that it was the then Governorship candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of APC, who supported our campaigns all throughaside from a sum of N500,000 each that was received from the national headquarters of the party.
The lawmakers emphasized that AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, then a candidate who funded our expenses including logistics, souvenirs, posters and other campaign materials which the now Governor never went about telling anyone about it.
“It is also laughable that Lai Mohammed could claim to have personally raised money to finance the 2019 general elections in Kwara State. The question that would readily come to mind is: What is Lai’s contribution to his own Ward, Local Government, District and Kwara in general to have earned him respect and reputation for people to trust him and donate money to him?”
The lawmakers liken Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s latest vituperation to “the last kick of a dying horse after the Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has rightly exposed the inglorious roles he played and his mismanagement of the money generated from the ‘friends of Kwara’ for the 2019 general elections. He is clearly running away from being accountable while struggling so hard to portray himself as the New Napoleon! That era is gone in Kwara State.”
“We, therefore, wish to implore Alhaji Lai Mohammed to please count us out of the problem or squabble he may have with the Governor and focus on his assignment as a Minister while we concentrate on ours as lawmakers. At the level of the state government and as lawmakers, the people of the state can point to the positive differences we have made in their lives. We have facts and figures to justify our stewardship. Kwarans are counting how many months left for Lai Mohammed as Minister and how many benefits and Federal Government’s project he has brought to his own village, Samora, Oro Kingdom, Kwara South and Kwara State in general.”
The lawmakers expressed their unequivocal stand on the side of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq adding that they are comfortable with his humility, his kindness, his team spirit, his commitment to a greater Kwara State, and his measured and peaceful approach to issues in the face of provocation.
A lawmaker, Hon Felix Awodiji from Lai Mohammed’s constituency, Irepodun, lamented who added his voice said: “even me, as a member of his constituency, I visited him several times on courtesy call but he never gave me a dime. May be he gave his said support to Hon Popoola, I can’t say” Another lawmaker, Halidu Danbaba, Kaiama / kemanji / Wajibe who spoke at the side line warned that Ahlaji Lai Mohammed should steer clear of the party if he doesn’t want to abide by the peaceful rules and reign of positive change in the party.
