Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has stated that
Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has crossed the line of
decency with his recent efforts to erase the legacies of his (Saraki’s)
late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki.
Saraki,
in a statement he personally signed and released in Lagos today, stated
that the war of attrition waged against the legacy of his father and
everything that belongs to the late politician simply portrayed the
Governor as a man who lacks the sense of history and set out only to
fight the Saraki family but not to serve the interest of Kwarans.
“Yesterday
night, the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq finally showed
his true colour when he announced his decision to revoke the ownership
of a property rightfully held by my late father, Dr. Olusola Abubakar
Saraki on Plots 1, 3 and 5 Ilofa Road, GRA, Ilorin popularly known as
Ile Arugbo, (Old People’s home) which since the Second Republic, has
always been used to host the weekly gathering of a multitude of aged
people in the society who are provided food, money and health services,
as part of the social welfare programme sponsored by the late
politician. The tradition has since been maintained.
“Before
now, this same Governor had invited all the members of the State House
of Assembly and directed them to commence the process of amending the
law to change the name of the State University which the last
administration renamed after my late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola
Saraki. He then followed up on this act of vengeance by initiating a
bill to rename the University and expunge the name of the late Dr.
Abubakar Olusola Saraki. Now, he has decided to also revoke the titles
of the landed property which belongs to the late politician. May be,
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq thinks his will be the last administration in
Kwara State but definitely, this is self delusion.
“The
property had been rightfully allocated to my late father under the name
of one of his companies, Asa Investment Limited, since the 1980s and
contrary to the claim of the Governor, the land was properly allocated
and a Right of Occupancy title issued on it. It should be noted that the
excuse given by Abdulrazaq in his revocation order holds no water since
it is clear that this is the height of his vengeance against my father,
Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki and I.
“Till
today, many Kwarans have been wondering what problem the Governor has
with the late Oloye Abubakar Olusola Saraki or what the late politician
did to offend him. It is surprising that of all vacant plots of land in
strategic places across Ilorin township, the one that Abdulrahman found
useful for his vengeful plan is the one owned by late Dr. Saraki. It is
beyond comprehension why a Governor would set as his main agenda the
objective of undermining and waging a war of attrition against a man who
is no longer around.
“This action is clearly a
manifestation of vengeance and it shows that this Governor is not out
to serve any public purpose or pursue any development agenda. In his
narrow-mindedness, he believes his victory at the polls is an
empowerment, entitlement and enablement to settle scores, provoke and
pursue inter-family rivalry. Those who voted for the party in power in
Kwara State and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq obviously did not vote for the
man to enable him wage war against Dr. Olusola Saraki and his legacies.
They expected development and fulfillment of promises.
“If
the Governor believes people are not taking stock of his misguided and
deceptive actions and that because he is in power, he could do whatever
he likes, he must be a joker. Also, this war against the Sarakis will
not successfully veil his unpreparedness for governance and divert
people’s attention from the glaring lack of visionary, clear-cut plan to
deliver on his empty promises to the people. He definitely cannot get
away with all the atrocities he has been committing.
“Since
the outcome of the elections in March, despite the fact that there are
clear grounds to challenge the results in court, I have decided to
demonstrate maturity, statemanship and sportsmanship. I have chosen not
to make comment on the policies, programmes and actions of the
administration in Kwara State or that of its head. Also, I deliberately
stayed away from the State to avoid creating any distraction for the
administration. My decision is borne out of a genuine restraint to
enable the administration settle down and fulfill its numerous promises
to the people of our state.
“However, seven
months down the line, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has shown that its cardinal
Programme is to wage war against my late father and I. He has
demonstrated that his only competence and astuteness is in the area of
viciously assailing the late Oloye Saraki and I. Definitely, he is a man
with no sense of history. Enough is enough. Now, he has crossed the
line.
“Perhaps, I should let it be known that
if Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq thinks he is taking all these actions to get
at me, he is only deceiving himself. There is no basis for competition
between us. Our paths cannot cross because the status that he is
struggling to attain, Almighty Allah has given it to me many years
before now. I became Governor 16 years before him and served out my
constitutional limit of eight years. Within the period, I was Chairman
of Nigerian Governors Forum. I have moved on to serve in the federal
legislature and by the grace of God, I headed the National Assembly as
the number three man in the country. No matter, how well he tried to
rewrite history, it is on record that I left Kwara State a lot better
than I met it. In fact, the University that he is struggling to rename
was established by my administration as just one out of many legacies we
left behind. This Governor needs a lot more efforts, years,
Intelligence and resources to attain the level Allah has taken me, not
to talk of my late father, Dr. Olusola Abubakar Saraki, the Senate
Leader in the Second Republic. As Governor, I used the position to serve
the people and during the period I did not dishonour his own father or
anybody’s father for that matter.
“Just as I
did after the election, my advise to Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq that he
should devote his time and energy to providing good governance and
genuine development of the state.
“It is well
known to the Governor that I fear nobody, except Almighty Allah, the
ultimate owner of all powers. With all his subterranean and open moves
against my family, person and property, I remain unmoved. However, his
open antagonism against my late father and his legacies is unwarranted
and will not be tolerated. He has definitely gone beyond bounds as he
cannot be allowed to ride roughshod on the deceased. In this war against
my late father, he will not win.
“This
Governor has shown that he is not a man who wants peace, co-operation
and development. He believes that a constant attack on my family and I
is all that he needs to win the hearts of Kwara people. The need to
provide good governance is secondary to him.
“However,
it should be made clear to Abdulrazaq and his administration that their
attack on my late father cannot erase the legacies of Oloye. No evil
design, negative plot or propaganda can successfully rewrite the history
of Kwara State. This plot against my late father will not stand. And I
will like to make it clear that we will contest this petty, malicious,
dubious and bias action of a parochial, vicious and vindictive
administration through all legal means. We are sure this is not an
action taken in public interest. Rather, it is done in pursuit of a
selfish and devious objective”, Saraki stated.