Members of the main opposition political party in Kwara state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have criticised the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the state over its failure to conduct local government elections since its assumption of office about four and a half years ago.
In their separate statements, the PDP stalwarts, namely, Yusuf Salihu and Salaudeen Lukman, lamented the alleged prolonged absence of executive chairmen in the state’s 16 local government areas, saying that the development had caused unease among residents.
Yusuf, who took to his Twitter page and Facebook page, said that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had not conducted local government elections to elect democratically elected council chairmen since he assumed office, adding that, instead, the governor had been using the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC).
Also, Comrade Salaudeen Lukman berated the Governor Abdulrazaq-led government over its inability to produce commissioners for the state or make the reported nominees public.
Lukman, who is a former Kwara State House of Assembly candidate for Ojomu Balogun Constituency under the PDP, also blamed the emergence of different lists of commissioner-nominees in the state on the attitude of the state government.
“It is worrisome to have a state like Kwara, where the Governor recently benefited from the Nigerian zoning system to become Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), but leaves the state he governs to suffer a great setback in governance.
The state has no Secretary to the State Government and no Chief of Staff to the governor. This is akin to autopilot.
“Kwarans seem to be deceived by a public statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr Sheu Yusuf, on the 27th of July, 2023, stating the Governor requested the screening and approval of 20 commissioner-nominees sent and 10 Special assistants.
This has been proved to be a washed-up press statement as the Kwara State House of Assembly refuses to commence screening of the said nominees.
Comrade Salaudeen called on the leadership of the House of Assembly to come clean on the constitutional matter to enable Kwarans to know who wants to make the state stagnant.
“Some over four years ago Saraki dynasty was ousted in Kwara State by Kwarans, which gave birth to the current government. I believe every conversant and political analyst will know what the struggle was then to unseat the Senate President of Nigeria in the polls.
