By SAKA Laaro, Ilorin
Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who is also a Chieftain in All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwara State chapter on Saturday said that there will not be party congress in the state come, July 10th until all party members are allowed to validate their membership.
Lai Mohammed disclosed this at the weekend in Ilorin, Kwara state, while addressing APC members during the commissioning of their new factional party secretariat, located along Reservation road, G.R.A Ilorin.
In his words: “I alongside with Professor Oba AbdulRaheem, Tajudeen Makama met with the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Mai Mala Buni at the party secretariat in Abuja, and he made it known clearly to us that; Kwara case is special, and there will not be party congress in the state, until all members are validated and registered.”
Lai Mohammed also broke his silence on the alleged diversion of the campaign funds by some cabals during 2019 elections.
The minister claimed that he singlehandedly, through family and friends raised all the funds for the prosecution of the elections in the state, including the House of Representatives by-election for Irepodun/Ekiti/ Oke-Ero constituency which preceded the 2019 general elections.
Mohammed was responding to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s last Saturday’s allegation that some cabals within the party who received hundreds of millions of naira as donations for the Kwara struggle did not deliver a kobo to him.
“I never diverted APC 2019 general elections campaign funds for my personal use as alleged by Kwara state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. I singlehandedly with the support of friends and family raised all the monies for the Oke-Ero/Isin/Ekiti/Irepodun Federal Constituency by-election of November 2019 that brought Hon. Tunji Olawuyi to the House of Representatives.
“I challenge anybody here to say he gave the party one penny apart from what I gave them. I challenge anybody here to say he gave logistics support to the party. I did that by the grace of God. I distributed 500 motorcycles and 20 vehicles. And many of the beneficiaries are here today.
“I want them to explain to Nigerians about what happened to the N70 million that Hon. Olawuyi kept that the governor refused to give us during the by-election. When we raised money prosecute that November 2018 by-election and gave them but, to our biggest surprise, like two days to the election, we could not reach them through their phones again to release funds we raised.
“I had to go to friends to raise another N150 million to prosecute that election. I remember very well that there are 42 wards in that constituency. We thank God today that was the beginning of our success.
“When elections proper came we did not see our governorship candidate.
“We could not wait. I say without any fear of contradictions that by the grace of God with the money raised from friends, colleagues and associates we financed the four elections and we scored 100 percent.
“But they got there today and forget the people that put them there. If we did not give money to the party, how did he think the party won?”
Among those that were present at the event include Member Federal House of Rep Gani Cook Olododo, factional chairman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, Professor Oba AbdulRaheem, Member State Assembly Hon. Saheed Popoola, Alhaji Tajudeen Makama, Chief Akogun Oyedepo, Rex Olawoye, Dr. Ezekiel Oyedepo, Hon Saka Raji, Dr. Iyanda, Alhaji Adebayo Adisa, Comrade Rahoof Bello and others.