By Abdulqaudri Mahmud
Barely a few days after I read the article Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kwara state wrote about the Kwara PDP’s “O Su Wa” campaign slogan, I jumped on an article that looks like its rejoinder on Facebook. The article was written by Abdullateef Ishowo, the newly appointed Director of Media and Communication for Kwara State PDP Campaign Council. Nothing defines the lengthy piece better than the false narration that it was. The article was ridden with lies and propaganda. But I won’t blame Abdullateef — he’s a Saraki man — and you’ve to be good at telling lies and spreading fake news before you can be one. Abdullateef has been disguising for long as an unbiased public analyst, apolitical commentator. However, he’s a core PDP member who is just creating unnecessary confusion. He has served as Legislative Aide to Senator Bukola Saraki. Everybody can now see where the fake public analyst belongs to.
For the sake of the people who don’t understand Yoruba, “O Su Wa” is loosely translated as “We’re Fed Up.” So, what Kwara PDP means by these words is that it’s fed up with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration. An administration that has been doing greatly according to political observers, experts, and well-meaning Kwarans, commending its exploits in the last three years. Fine, the AbdulRazaq-led administration is yet to take Kwarans to the promised land but it has long moved them away from the state of disrepute PDP left them before the 2019 elections.
This saying is the brainchild of Saraki’s Kwara PDP and it is synonymous with them alone. But in Abdullateef’s shameful defense of his party, he said PDP are not the only people ranting about “O Su Wa” in the State, the civil servants are also on the table. This claim was nothing but false. The civil servants of which state? The same civil servants his Party treated like trash? The civil same civil servants whom his party paid Geri-Gedi salaries and even owed salaries for months without giving reasonable accounts as to why? Abdullateef must be joking.
Kwara state’s civil servants have tasted both administrations. I mean the 16 years of PDP’s misrule and Mallam AbdulRazaq-led administration of 3 and a half years. Even though the latter’s years are way below the former’s years, he has done well for the civil servants than the former which has a history of afflicting civil servants to comfort itself. So, how Abdullateef Ishowo believes that civil servants are with them in this self-afflicting “O Su Wa” campaign slogan beats me. He may not know, but like other Kwarans, the civil servants have moved on and aren’t ready to bring PDP back to power.
Abdullateef Ishowo also claimed that PDP paid civil servants geri-gedi salaries because there was a recession which led to a cut of allocation at the time. He didn’t acknowledge that his party owed salaries. Besides, why didn’t his acclaimed cut of allocation affect other states? The only state that couldn’t pay full salaries at the time was Osun state and it was because of its elephant projects and a heavy debt. What Abdullateef would have told us is that his party looted the money meant to service civil servants whose only sin was rendering their service diligently. Simple!
There is audio evidence on the internet where the Leader of Kwara PDP — Senator Bukola Saraki said he shared millions of naira to each state in Nigeria so that his favorite presidential candidate would emerge. At a time when Kwara’s civil servants were suffering! Also, when former governor of Kwara state AbdulFatah Ahmed proposed N20 billion bond, he allayed the fear of Kwarans that it wouldn’t be diverted. His assurance hinted how the bonds collected before the one he was proposing were used. No be so? I hope Abdullateef Ishowo would tell us the real reason why his party couldn’t afford to pay salary as basic as it is.
I can continue to point out the lies and propaganda in that article but I will stop here. Bro Abdullateef can do better, at least, for the sake of the youths who are looking up to him and admire his oratory prowess. When he and his people say “O Su Wa” (they are fed up with the AbdulRazaq-led govt) we know what they mean. They mean they are fed up of being denied access to Kwara’s purse which they looted to the low. They mean they have missed their days of stampeding our people all in the name of sharing the yearly Sallah packages which took many lives. They mean they are fed up with the progress Kwara state has been recording since they were asked to leave the seat of power through the polls.
Abdulqaudri Mahmud writes from Ilorin East LGA, Zango Ward, Ilorin Kwara state
