Court Judgment Didn’t Affect APC Candidate In Kwara – Lai Moh’d

The minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
yesterday, insisted that Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq remains the
valid candidate of the APC in Kwara State.

The minister dismissed rumours making the rounds, that a Kwara
State High Court has quashed APC primary election in the state.

The minister, who is the leader of the APC in Kwara, confirmed
this to newsmen in Ilorin, after meeting with the state executives
of the party to assess the level of preparations for the 2019
elections.

He urged the people of Kwara State to discountenance the rumour
making the rounds that the recent judgement of an Ilorin High Court
invalidated the candidacy of Alhaji Abdulrazaq.

“I read the court judgement and there is nowhere in the
judgement that states that our candidate is not valid. Of course,
we have already appealed the judgement for other reasons but as of
today, our candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, remains the authentic
candidate of the party and that is the situation today with INEC,”
Alhaji Mohammed said.

He described the rumour as the handiwork of the dissolved party
executives, who are working extra time to spread falsehood.

“The ‘Shaku-Shaku’ faction of the APC in Kwara State will try
everything and we hear they are saying everywhere that INEC has
disqualified Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. No! It’s absolutely false.

“There is only one candidate of the APC and that candidate is
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, and as we speak today, he is in Uyo with Mr
President to launch the presidential campaign of the party,” the
minister said.

Meanwhile, the minister also dismissed the allegation that he
deliberately sponsored the live coverage of the annual meeting of
the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Union on the Nigerian Television
Authority (NTA) in order to embarrass the Emir.

Alhaji Mohammed distanced himself from the allegation, saying he
was not even aware that the event would hold.

He blamed the PDP in Kwara State for the rumour, noting that the
party (PDP) had been circulating false stories about him in recent
times in order to pitch him against the Ilorin Emirate.

“The PDP in Kwara State is in panic mode. They are in total
disarray.

They know they have lost this (forthcoming) election so they
have resorted to blackmail and outright lies. How could I have
arranged a live coverage for a programme I was not even aware was
taking place?

“It’s a lie. I was not aware that there was a meeting so how
could I arrange the (live) coverage? I challenge anybody who has
any proof to come out and say that I was responsible for the live
coverage,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

He disclosed that already, 10 persons have appeared in court in
connection with the mayhem that disrupted the event at the Emir’s
palace, along with some miscreants who destroyed the billboards of
the APC in Ilorin.

The minister said the people of Kwara are ripe, primed and ready
for change in the leadership of the state and that no amount of
blackmail could deter them from ousting the PDP from power in the
forthcoming elections.