Kwara PDP Applauds Report Tagging AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as Top Diaspora Governor

In a statement released by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party declared Governor Abdulrazaq’s Nigeria Governors’ Forum chairmanship as more of a curse than a blessing for Kwara residents and said that the report aligns with the PDP’s long-standing assertion that the Governor has effectively relocated Kwara State’s capital to Abuja since assuming the position of the NGF Chairman.

The statement further criticized the Governor for neglecting his duties and allowing residents to endure the effects of having a diasporan Governor and compared his administration with the tenure of Abubakar Bukola Saraki, saying the past governor transformed Kwara into a tourist attraction and facilitated federal appointments for the state during his NGF chairmanship.

The PDP further denounced the Governor’s attempt to conceal his absence by frequently chartering private jets, estimating a daily expenditure of over twenty-five million naira on the Governor’s trips between Abuja and Ilorin and emphasized the implications of such spending on the state treasury, before urging Governor Abdulrazaq to prioritize the needs of the suffering masses and return home to fulfill his governance responsibilities.

“In a bid to cover up and deceive Kwarans that he is always around, Governor Abdulrahman and his media handlers have devised a strategy to always chatter private jets daily which will convey him to Kwara from Abuja to enable him to take photographs in choice locations and after the photo spree, the chattered Jets return him to Abuja where he will pass his night. It is these photos that his media handlers then share to hoodwink the public that the Governor is around.”

“Our Party is not bothered about the Governor’s phobia of staying in Kwara but we are bothered about the negative implications on the Kwara treasury as it is estimated that more than N25 million is required for anybody to charter a private jet from Abuja to Ilorin. If that is true, over N25 million is being expended daily on private jets to and fro Abuja by Mr Governor. It is safe to say such is reckless spending of Taxpayers’ money as it means from May 2023 till date, the Governor may have succeeded in using N4.5 billion Taxpayers’ money to hire chartered jets. This price is too huge to pay for Kwarans whose only crime was reelecting Abdulrahman to office.”

The statement added, “In further validating this report, Kwarans recall how recently, the hopes of thousands of Muslim faithful, including those of our revered royal fathers, the Sultan of Sokoto, HRM, Alhaji Sa’adu Abubakar III, and the Emir of Ilorin, HRH, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, were dashed with Governor’s inexplicable absence from the Islamic Public Lecture that took place last week. Governor Abdulrahman who incidentally flew to Ilorin on a private jet went to the Emir’s Palace to pay homage to the Sultan – a gesture many participants of the programme mistook to mean the Governor was ready to honour the two royal fathers by joining them to attend the lecture as he promised during the Palace’s visit.

“Regrettably, it was unknown to them that the private jet that flew the Governor to Ilorin was still running at the airport waiting to convey him back to Abuja. Hence, the state royal reception that is usually adorned to such Sultanate entry to our state was practically absent with only the Emir and a few private individuals left to shoulder all welfare arrangements for the entry and exit of the Sultan.”

The PDP concluded by calling on Governor Abdulrazaq to reconsider his priorities, emphasizing the negative impact of his actions on the state treasury and the people of Kwara.

“Our Party, therefore, urges Governor Abdulrahman to consider the suffering masses and return home to face the serious business of governance which he had sworn to uphold during his inauguration into office”.