The faction of Kwara All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Alhaji Lai Mohammed has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari rejected Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s nominee for ministerial appointment.
“His major candidate whose name he submitted for appointment was rejected,” Ibrahim Sharafdeen, Publicity Secretary of the faction, said this in a statement in Ilorin on Wednesday.
The party said this while rejecting claims that the Kwara Governor was instrumental to the appointment of Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Sen. Gbemi Saraki, the two ministers from the state serving in President Buhari’s cabinet.
The party was reacting to a statement credited to Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman of the APC National Reconciliation Committee.
Adamu was quoted as saying that AbdulRazaq was responsible for the appointment of Mohammed and Saraki as ministers from the state.
“We wish to put it on record that the appointments were graciously made by Mr President even against the wish of the Governor.
“The governor has no inkling neither did he make any contribution nor exert any influence on both appointments.
“His major candidate whose name he submitted for appointment was rejected.
“Besides, the Governor went further to stop the appointment of the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Hajia Faida Dankaka, an attempt which also failed,” Sharafdeen said.
The publicity secretary also criticised Adamu’s remarks, which he described as disparaging.
Sharafdeen quoted the reconciliation committee chairman to have said: “I am in Kwara State to reconcile genuine aggrieved members of the party in the state; we will not accept any action or utterances that can deepen division or rubbish the APC-led administration in the state.
“While it is difficult to place his definition of ‘genuine aggrieved members’ of the party in the state, it is pertinent to state categorically that we take strong exception to such prejudicial remark from a man who is expected to be neutral in view of the volatile nature of his assignment.
“We view such belligerent tone as a prelude to what should be expected of the outcome of his input to the committee’s report,” he said.
According to Sharafdeen, “a prudent statesman heading a reconciliatory committee of this nature, we expect that he would have approached this assignment with caution and tact rather than resorting to emotions by referring to his primordial relationship with one of the parties to the dispute.
“This, we considered as a clear case of a judge descending into the arena of dispute”.
He said that prior to the arrival of the committee on Jan. 10, the parties were asked to make their presentations in writing, which was done.
“We appreciate the intervention of the committee in finding lasting solutions to the lingering crises in Kwara APC.
“We noticed the unpleasant body language and conduct of the chairman were at variance with the stated objective of the committee,” Sharafdeen added.
He said that even if the committee chairman has a long-standing relationship with the patriarch of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s family, it was indecent to use the venue of the meeting to express such attachment.
“We are not in any way insinuating or impugning on the integrity and character of members of the committee; we know them as men and women of impeachable character,” he said.
Sharafdeen, therefore, expressed optimism that the APC national secretariat would do justice without fear or favour.
“Having done what is expected of us by articulating our position on the matter at hand and proffering what we consider a way forward to the committee,
“We hope the leadership of the party at the national level will do justice without fear or favour,” said the spokesman.
(NAN)
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