Saraki and Ahmed have shown Kwarans wickedness- Awoyale

Chief Gbenga Awoyale is a chieftain of the People ‎Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State and President General of Orisun Igbomina. In this interview with Joy Ekeke, he spoke extensively on the political activities in the nation. Excerpt:

It is a few days away from the general elections, what are the chances of the PDP?

The chance of PDP winning the polls remains unbeatable; it is also clear that PDP remains the only alternative party towards a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria. At the national level, the opposition ‎party, the All Progressive Congress, (APC) is just crying wolf and touring a dishonourable path. Their claims and moves to wrestle power from President Goodluck Jonathan are not only baseless but also a mere child’s play and nightmare that is unrealistic.

If the opposition party claimed that corruption has deeply eaten Nigeria system, I think members of the APC constitute the largest percentage of those who have deliberately crippled the entire facet of Nigeria’s economy by embezzling resources meant for the masses. ‎For example, when you critically assess somebody like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, you will discover that he is instrumental to the seeming poverty confronting the people of this nation. As a two term governor of Lagos State, Tinubu dubiously enriched himself owing virtually 50 percent of properties in the state and eventually made his wife a Senator and his daughter the Iyaloja of Lagos. What a callous decision? He is so fond of himself that he doesn’t bother about what affects the masses. Similarly, Rotimi Amaechi has bankrupt the treasury of Rivers state to finance the presidential campaign not minding what becomes of the ordinary citizen. When you look at Bukola Saraki, a two term governor of Kwara State, he wielded enough power to himself so much so that he doesn’t ‎have an atom of respect for anybody including the traditional institutions. He has stylishly enriched himself with Kwara State’s investments thereby leaving the citizens of the state in abject poverty. They claimed to have taken bond for certain projects but you go and check the debt rate of Kwara now and compare it to the available investments, you will agree with me that Bukola Saraki has mortgaged the state. There are so many fraud cases hanging on him. By and large, these are the numerous evils orchestrated by these political jobbers whose inordinate love for power will not take the nation anywhere. They are so desperate and ill-focus about Nigeria’s future, growth and development. If you are seeing Gen. Mohammadu Buhari as an incorruptible former Head of State, I think you have totally missed the road because record has clearly shown that Buhari is not only corrupt financially but he is also power drunk. There are so many atrocities linked to him and be that as it may, he has sold and painted himself to Nigeria’s as Mr Integrity and saint but I have observed that he’s always uncomfortable moving around with the aforementioned jobbers who have eaten Nigeria treasury to coma. And if not, I think he should be ashamed of himself claiming to be ready to fight corruption and seeking power with corrupt monies and minds.

Buhari’s corruption transcends the reasoning of Nigerians. He is power corrupt, financially corrupt, certificate‎ corrupt, skill corrupt, physically and mentally corrupt. How will Nigerians vote for somebody who reads everything he wants to say in the paper including his name. So with the foregoing, the only choice for Nigerians is to vote for change alongside transformation agenda of President Jonathan. They must not compromise quality for quantity. APC has reflected the kind of government they will run if given the chance to rule as demonstrated in their nationwide campaign.

‎So my advice for Nigerians is to tour the path of honour and diligence in the March 28 and April 11 polls respectively.

How prepared is the party in Kwara State in understanding the fact that APC is well rooted‎ in the state?

I want you to understand the fact that there was nothing like APC at the inception of this 4th republic in 1999 until two years ago. The dominating party has been PDP and things ‎have been moving on smoothly along that direction. Unfortunately, APC came to fore just recently dubiously using already-made PDP’s structure to find its bearing. The structures being used by APC is a stolen mandate that calls for urgent retrieve. So Kwarans have loudly spoken in their numbers. They are ready to massively vote for PDP. We have taken our campaign to the nooks and crannies of the state; we have carefully listened to their plight. We have also discovered that the APC led government has failed the people while Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has also disappointed the confidence reposed in him by his people. He has really justified that he is the most powerless governor in Nigeria. He is only playing the card of his political godfather at the expense of the masses. Our tour to the nooks and crannies of Kwara was a sad phenomenon for right thinking Kwaran. Everywhere is in a sorry state most especially the Igbomina where he comes from. If you go to Share where Ahmed comes from, you will be sorry for him. The entire Ifelodun local government is completely undeveloped. You will agree with me that Share-Oke Ode road is completely in a sorry state. Labaka Oja, Babanloma, Babanla, Shagbe, Alabe, Alabe-Oja, Ile-Ire as well as villages are terribly suffering; they are totally cut-off from the states activities because there is no road network, good schools, and infrastructural developments among others.

Coming to Offa/Erinle axis, the state government has entirely failed in its responsibilities of providing social services to the people and coming down to the Kwara North axis‎, you will sincerely agree with me that the people there have tasted the wickedness in mankind from Bukola Saraki and Governor Ahmed ‎.

Some of the people of Baruten local government go as far as Benin republic to seek medical services. What a pity? Is it a sin to come from other part of the state other than the state capital?

‎But the government has renovated some general hospitals across the state, what is your position on this?

It will be good for you to doyour findings thoroughly before reporting issues. Which hospital did he renovate. In case you don’t know, the renovation project is an intervention of the MDGs to the health sector. Kwara government is just using the project to loot the state’s resources and even going as far as taking bond. Governor Ahmed is a complete disappointment to the Igbominas and he is a calamity and disgrace to the entire Kwarans because Bukola Saraki’s interest is his primary interest while the interest of Kwarans is regarded as alternative forgone issue.

Personally, the governor surprised me because I was the person that championed the course of taking the hover ship slot to Kwara South, but as you can see today, the senatorial district is completely backward. Well, I’m not surprised. He cannot even upgrade his father, the Olupako of Share to the prestigious first class status so that his godfather don’t get angry at him.‎ But the incoming PDP governor, Senator Simeon Ajibola has taken it upon himself to upgrade the monarch as soon as he assumes office.

‎I asked some traditional rulers about their wellbeing but they confided in me that they are witnessing the worst period of their lives. They have not been paid for some time now.

What can you say is responsible for the slow pace of development in the state ‎?

Without mincing words, the major causes of underdevelopment in Kwara State‎ are nothing but Bukola Saraki and Abdulfatah Ahmed due to their fraudulent acts of corruption. They have crippled the entire local government areas. Each time they talk, they keep making noise about dwindling economy, short fund among others but they fail to tell the people what has led to the short fund in the allocation of the state from the federation account. The short fund in the allocation is the aftermath of the huge bond taken by the state. Meanwhile, the allocation coming from the federal to the state has been cornered by the state government despite the fact that the allocatio is always been published in the national dailies by the federal government monthly. For instance the allocation of Baruten local government area is about N 155million while the state government released N1.8million to them for the month of February. Similarly, the sum of N1.2 million was released to Irepodun Local government area out of the entire N110million released by the federal government.

‎That isthe highest level of corruption in our land and to humanity. Local governments have not been receiving salaries for three months now. In addition, no ‎local government can boost of a N5million project since they assume office. So it is our belief the Ajibola/Aluko PDP government will allow local governments to function effectively and transform our rural communities with little inputs from the state government.

‎Some people have described you as an ingrate to Sen Bukola Saraki for not defecting to APC with him. What is your reaction to this?

When you talk about my relationship with Bukola Saraki, I can boldly tell you that we are friends ‎and when I discovered that he was touring the path of arrogance, I had no choice than to part ways with him. I don’t have any personal issue against him; all I desire is the growth and development of our people. As for us, we don’t have anywhere to go to but Bukola Saraki and his families have permanent stay in London as well as their immediate and extended families in Ogun State. So he doesn’t bother about what happens to Kwarans. He also made Tope Daramola an indigene of Ondo State the Director of Finance of his campaign organisation and later made him chairman of Shonga farm and Director General of Bureau of Lands‎. After serious attempt to sell off the Ilorin Yidi praying ground, ‎the IEDPU stood against him and this same moved him to head the newly established Harmony Holdings Limited controlling the entire state owned investments.

Despite our efforts in the 2011‎ election, Ahmed immediately considered Toyin Sanusi who was the financier of the ACPN for appointment as the Chief of Staff as well as Alhaji Saka Onimago, Barrister Anthony Towoju and others as commissioners respectively at the expense of those who suffered for the victory while others who laid their lives down were killed in the pool of their own blood. What has become of their families? So let me clearly state here that I, Chief Gbenga Awoyale has never taken a penny from Bukola Saraki and I have never begged him for any political gain. As far as I am concerned, he is ungrateful and unfair to me and the good people of Kwara State for dumping the party that made him.

So my not following‎ him to APC doesn’t have anything to do with what is on ground, after all, he also refused to follow his father to ACPN in 2010. So what is my business with that? This is someone that disappointed his father for political gains and even squandered the state resources despite the fact that Baba Saraki liquidated Société Generale ‎for him to become governor in 2003 living depositors in life long suffering.

How would you react to the defection of the deputy governor of Rivers State barely few days to the general elections?

It is a national disaster for the APC family. You can hear his comment on the reason why he dumped the party. The Deputy Governor is a very strong factor in the Rivers politics.‎ He was retained for Amaechi after the court sacked Omehia from office due to his political relevance and he has served for eight years. It is just like talking about Yinka Aluko in Kwara State political centre stage. The Deputy Governor is a threat to Amaechi as Aluko is a threat to Bukola in Kwara. He served as the Security Adviser for Bukola and Ahmed without any blemish. He also won the Kwara Central Senate Primaries of the PDP without any godfather. Now he is the running mate to Sen. Simeon Ajibola. So we are sure of having a vibrant and efficient deputy governor under the incoming PDP government. What you see under the APC political arrangement is making the deputy governor, Elder Peter Kishira the Personal Assistant (PA) to the governor while making Governor Ahmed the deputy governor to Bukola Saraki. What a mess? Indeed the people of Kwara North have seen this arrangement as a total marginalization on their people. In fact presently, the Kwara state government is threatening to collect PVCs from workers while they are also compiling names of local government workers giving them directive to vote APC. We urged INEC and security agents to look into this dubious and criminal act because it is an electoral offence.