Minister berates Governor for demolishing Saraki’s house

 

• Says, ‘You can’t erase my father’s legacies’

The Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, on Friday berated the governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazzaq, for demolishing her father’s property in Ilorin.

She accused the governor of rushing into an attempt to settle perceived old generational family political scores, saying revenge cannot be a policy thrust of governance.

According to the Minister, the use of force and violence that the governor chose to adopt was totally unwarranted and “disrespectful” to her.

She said if her father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, were to be alive, he would have been saddened by the demolition of Ile Arugbo (old people’s home).

She warned that APC’s victory in the state at the poll in the last general elections might be “short-lived or diminished” if care is not taken.

The Minister said the likes of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who joined APC a few months to the last elections, should not be allowed to mess up the party’s fortunes in the state.

She asked the Inspector-General of Police to call the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State to order.

Saraki’s position on the raging issue which came through a formal statement she personally signed, said the art of vengeance is not what President Muhammadu Buhari or the All Progressives Congress (APC) represents.

The Minister said it was unfortunate that there are some elements in APC who wanted to change the O to ge (enough) narrative of the 2019 elections to be about the Sarakis instead of the failed administration of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State.

READ: Tension in Ilorin as Kwara demolishes Saraki’s house

However, she pleaded with the people of the state, especially her father’s teeming supporters, to be calm and peaceful in the face of provocation by the governor.

The statement said: “At 3:00am Thursday 2nd of January 2020, the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, gave orders to the police to open fire on aged women at the contested welfare home, popularly known as ‘Ile Arugbo’ (home for the aged), owned by my father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki.

“As a staunch and loyal member of APC, I have kept quiet to date on the happenings in my state, Kwara State. I had done this for a number of reasons, including trying to “keep my head when all about me are losing theirs.”

“But all in all, I had kept quiet, as being a loyal member and supporter of the party, I did not want to get into any squabble with the Governor despite so many provocations.

“Again, as a loyal and dedicated daughter of my father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki, who I hold in very high esteem, I did not want to express my opinion on the propriety of the Governor’s recent political actions as it would be seen as biased because the late Waziri is my father.

“However, given the turn of events and the violent nature of the Governor’s position, it is only right for me to speak now.

“There might have been some elements within my party, APC, who wanted to change the O to ge narrative of the 2019 elections to be about the Sarakis, and not about what it was – the removal of a failing PDP administration.

“But clearly, by some recent steps taken, especially with Thursday’s actions, Kwara State APC must be careful to not allow a few elements with their own agenda other than governance to turn their personal vendetta into the official position of APC in the state.

“They must not be allowed to hijack the narrative of what our party stands for.

“The APC has, since its inception, preached and worked earnestly for genuine good governance, security, increased welfare, progress and development of the people, as exemplified by President Muhammadu Buhari, who in the face of direct provocation and deep personal attacks, remains true to the oath he took to govern all Nigerians in spite of allegiances.

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“That is why it is important that my silence is not misconstrued as tacit approval or support for the actions taken by the Governor.”

The Minister said the governor cannot erase her father’s legacies.

She said: “However, I am comforted by the knowledge that my father’s good work and his respect, support and love for the aged, which was sadly lacking in the Governor’s activities of Thursday, simply cannot be erased by demolishing a bungalow.

“When it comes down to it, Ile Arugbo is a piece of bare land that holds symbolic value of what my father stood for – humanitarianism, and that doesn’t start nor end with a building.

“But after the events of Thursday when the aged women were tear gassed and shot at in the wee hours of the morning (3:00 am), I do not want my silence to be misconstrued, as mischief makers have used that silence to attribute false statements allegedly made by me.

“It is especially disrespectful to me personally as a member of the APC since 2015, who welcomed and supported those who only joined us a couple of months to the elections, which includes the Governor himself, that my position as a member of the party was not given any consideration and/or regard when approaching this issue.”