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Revenge is not governance, Gbemisola Saraki tells Kwara governor

By Dennis Erezi
04 January 2020   |   11:55 am
Nigeria's minister of State for Transportation Gbemisola Saraki has accused Kwara State governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of prioritising witch-hunt of opposition above governance. Gbemisola in a statement told Abdulrazaq that “revenge cannot be a policy thrust of (his) governance”. “The level of force and violence that the governor chose to adopt was totally unwarranted." The Kwara…

Nigeria’s minister of State for Transportation Gbemisola Saraki has accused Kwara State governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of prioritising witch-hunt of opposition above governance.

Gbemisola in a statement told Abdulrazaq that “revenge cannot be a policy thrust of (his) governance”.

“The level of force and violence that the governor chose to adopt was totally unwarranted.”

The Kwara State government on Thursday, January 2, demolished a property owned by Gbemisola’s father, Olusola Saraki.

During the demolition, security operatives dispersed protesters, including aged women within the complex known as ‘Ile Arúgbó’. The properties are located at Plots 1, 3 and 5 Ilofa Road, GRA, Ilorin.

Kwara State governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in December 2019 announced the revocation of the property owned by former governor of the state, Olusola Saraki because it was illegally acquired.

Gbemisola’s brother and former Senate president Bukola Saraki had earlier countered the governor’s claims, saying the property was legally allocated to his father.

Gbemisola, however, believes that her “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.”

She posited that demolition of the building could jeopardise the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state in future elections.

Gbemisola said the 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,” Gbemisola said.

The minister said her silence should not be misconstrued as tacit approval or support for the actions taken by the governor.

She said it was disrespectful of the governor not to have consulted her before deciding to demolish the building.

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