By ABIODUN OLANREWAJU, Ilorin
A pro-democracy group, the Defender of Kwara Freedom, has demanded an immediate probe of the activities of Hon. Moshood Mustapha, accusing him of an attempt to polarise the ruling All Progressives Congress in Kwara State.
The DKF made the demand in a statement signed by the group’s Coordinator and Secretary, Com. Shifau Salaudeen and Com. Sherifat Ibrahim, respectively, at a press conference in Ilorin on Saturday.
The statement read, “The back hand forceful attempt of Hon. Moshood Mustapha to take over the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward structure has polarised Alanamu Ward, where his supporters now disrupt the ward’s meetings, thereby causing undue embarrassment to the party.
“We gathered that Hon. Moshood Mustapha, who is hell bent on taking over the party structure with the aim of unsettling the party with his gubernatorial ambition in 2023, is the sole financier of the polarisation agenda.
“It would be recalled MM, as he’s fondly called by his admirers, served under Dr. Bukola Saraki as commissioner and was also sponsored to the House of Representatives by the former Senate president.
The statement further said, “Rumours had been rife, MM who was one of the most trusted aides of Saraki, who was roundly rejected at the 2019 polls, is a fifth columnist in the APC.
“While he has effortlessly denied the allegations, recent actions and moves by MM is giving credence to the rumour.
“MM in recent times have been rallying renegades in the party in conjunction with some anti-masses tendencies, who are hell-bent on destabilising the Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq Otoge government.
“According to an impeccable source, who got N5,000 from the N200,000 largesse of MM to the Alanamu ward, said, ‘#200,000 was given to us by Hon. Moshood Mustapha; it was an attempt to buy the entire executives of the ward to his side, which isn’t a bad aspiration for any grassroots politician. But his caveat that we’ll be activated to start a cold war in APC, which will gradually spread to other wards across the state.
“Although, I shared out of the money, but I wouldn’t be a party to attempt to pull down the house I almost lost my life to build.
It also said, “We have different tendencies in Alanamu. The Prof. Oba, Lukman Mustapha, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Hakeem Lawal, Yahyah Seriki groups and all others, with the exception of Moshood Mustapha, are all on the same page.
“We, therefore, wish to use this medium enjoin the Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa-led state APC, to quickly initiate an investigation into the activities of Hon. Moshood Mustapha and met out necessary punishment to serve as a deterrent to other would-be problem mongers.
“All Kwarans with conscience must rise and resist the attempt of fifth columnists led by Hon. MM to disrupt the party and distract Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq from delivering on his campaign promises.”
Efforts by our correspondent to reach Hon. Mustapha for his reaction proved abortive.
