PDP alleged that Abdulrazaq’s administration had been handling finances of the state without transparency in the past 3 years
By Dele Moses, Ilorin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the major opposition party in Kwara State, has challenged the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to publicly render an account of the management of the financial resources of the state under his administration in the last three years.
The PDP made the challenge as it alleged that “the huge monetary inflow into the state since 2019 has not translated into prosperity, development and improved living conditions for the people of the state.”
However, before the party spoke, the government had about three weeks ago alerted that the party was planning to smear the state governor and some other government functionaries through allegations of financial misappropriation and other corrupt practices.
The government said the planned allegations of the party were baseless and unfounded as it added that most of those allegations were of past issues which had been investigated and found to be untrue.
The party asked that the governor should render the account through public means that would include a media chat where he could be taken up on alleged shady areas in the management of the financial resources under his administration.
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The party which made the demand at a press conference in Ilorin, alleged that Abdulrazaq’s administration had been handling finances of the state without transparency in the past three years.
Chairman of the party, Babatunde Mohammed, who spoke at the press conference said that the administration was allegedly poor on transparency and accountability.
Mohammed alleged that several billions of naira including N70b internally generated revenue (IGR) has accrued to the state in the past three years without the government properly accounting for the money or accomplishing projects that justified spending of the money.
“I am sure that there are other revenue inflows that the government has kept away from the public. It is not in the habit of this administration to reveal to Kwarans the financial records of their State. This has got to confirm how poor this government is when it comes to transparency and accountability.
“It is, however, pathetic and unfortunate that the huge monetary inflows into the State since 2019 has not translated into prosperity, development and improved living conditions for the people of the State, as the governor continues to mismanage the resources belonging to the State with impunity and recklessness.
“The governor should explain to Kwarans what he has done with these huge cash inflows into the State coffers. We challenge the governor to also hold a media chat to give an account of his administration.
“It is ridiculous that since his assumption of office, Governor Abdulrazaq has not deemed it fit to host any media chat that could have afforded journalists and Kwarans the opportunity to ask salient questions regarding the affairs of the State.
“Our party is appalled and worried over how Governor Abdulrazaq is running a massively corrupt, insensitive and incompetent administration that has stagnated Kwara and brought so much deprivation and devastation to the people of the State. Indeed, Kwara and Kwarans cannot afford another four years of this rudderless and decadent administration.
“The Kwara PDP genuinely sympathises with Kwarans over the manifest misrule and failure of this one-chance and mediocre APC administration of Governor Abdulrazaq. Our party, however, urges them not to despair but keep hope alive and continue to rally round the PDP in our quest to rescue our dear State from the misrule of the APC,” he stated.