… for outburst against Kwara governor
BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Sanctions are looming over the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed over his recent outburst against Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq of Kwara State, with the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress mooting plans to suspend him.
Mohammed had claimed that he sponsored the electioneering campaigns of the governor in 2019, which has been denied by the governor’s camp and other party stalwarts in the state.
Reacting to the development in an interview Wednesday in Abuja, the APC Chairman Caretaker Committee in Kwara State, Abdullahi Samari Abubakar, said that the party might apply disciplinary measures, in line with the party’s constitution.
He said, “Like I said earlier. I still see the Minister as a member of our party. Because he has not formally told us that he is moving out of the party, which I doubt if he will go. He is a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where the APC as a ruling party is running the administration of government. So I would not think he would want to move out. But from those utterances he made, the party, APC, has guidelines over (such) issues. If we feel that what he said publicly amounts to disrespect or (capable of) causing acrimony within the party, honestly, we are going to make sure the rules of the party are applied against him and any other person.”
Asked whether the Minister would be suspended or expelled from the APC, the Kwara State, party Chairman said, “Well, there are guidelines, like I told you. If the offense is commensurate to suspending him, or any other, definitely the rule of the party is going to apply because nobody is too big to be sanctioned. We want to have sanity in the party.”
Samari said the sanction would take place “very soon”. Adding, “Well, there are steps according to the party. It has to start from the particular ward of that fellow. Then come down to the Local Government then to the state. So, whatever decision is taken at the Ward, to Local Government then to state, it will then be forwarded to the national level for ratification.”
The APC chieftain also confirmed that Mohammed revalidated his membership of the APC in the state.
He said, “There are certain facts that some of you don’t know. When the appeal committee came to Kwara, we met with them. There was this allegation that some people were not allowed to register. But mind you that was wrong. If you came in then, the rooms were open. It was just that some people were discouraging others not to come out and register. For whatever reason, we may not know. Let me tell you categorically that Alhaji Lai Muhammed as a Minister registered. Quote me anywhere. I can show the date he registered.
“He registered at his ward at Oro, Kwara State. You can confirm that from him. The extension of registration is not a new thing. It is not that Alhaji Lai group or camp has won anything. Remember that I also authorised a document that APC national secretariat should extend the registration in Kwara State for at least one week, because a lot of people came into the party. And, we just had to allow them as members of the party whereby they would have the equal right to take part in whatever was going on during the congresses.
On the extension of the registration exercise by two weeks, the State Chairman said, “I authored a paper signed under the leadership of the governor, who is the leader of the party in Kwara State, that is Governor AbdulRahman, urging the national secretariat to please extend the registration exercise for at least a week in Kwara. If they are now extending it to two weeks, it is not a glory to anyone who wants to claim, because we requested for that, and I think the national only acted in recognition of our letter.”
