HOW SARAKI’S INNOCENCE PROMPTED GOVERNOR RAHAMAN TO APPROVE RUNNING COST FOR COUNCILS

HOW SARAKI’S INNOCENCE LATER PROMPTED GOVERNOR RAHAMAN TO APPROVE RUNNING COST FOR COUNCILS

There has been noticeable frosty relationship between the new government of Kwara state under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor ABdulrazaq Abdulrahaman and all elected officials of local government in the state since assumption of office of the later. Notably, this unfriendly relationship from the new Governors toward council Chairmen particularly under a rival political platform is not only limited to Kwara  but have been exemplified by some neighboring states with new faces at the states but which inherited existing governments at their respective councils.


Obviously, the natural mindset of most new Governors in Abdulrahaman shoes and their parties is to immediately show the way out to all elected council chairmen they inherited even when such action goes oughtrighly against the dictates of law. However, Governor Abdurrahman who was warned openly during inauguration by his aged mother, Hajia Abdulrazaq to not use power to seek vengeance of any kind is still very undecided on the subject matter even while those with vested interest in his party are mounting pressure on him to follow status quo .

Since Abdulrahman assumption of office on May the 29th, the Governor has refused to properly release funding appropriated for these councils . For instance, while Governor Rahaman released eighty five percent 85% Salaries for council Chairmen, he had refused to release running cost for all councils. Running cost according to reliable sources is primarily used to service miscellaneous functions such as payment of casual workers, fueling generators and others at the council Secretariats   .

The Governor's decision to withhold running cost of all the sixteen local councils provoked uproar from the grassroots due to inability of chairmen to pay salaries of their casual staff and run miscellaneous activities at the councils. However, sources close to government confided in this medium that Governor did not withhold council running cost for fun of it but he was interested in unraveling  some allegations made by some APC stakeholders against Dr Bukola Saraki long before 2019 elections .

Consequently, Governor Rahaman in a bid to unravel this perceived financial  misappropriations employed the services of some financial experts and fiscal consultants from Lagos to look into the details and financial transactions of Councils and uncovered what the Governor perceived as illegal wiring of fund from these Councils to Saraki accounts for political use since 2003.

The Sources briefed this medium that the Governors actions followed numerous unfounded rumors and wild claims fed to him against Dr Saraki by local politicians long ago even before 2019 elections

“See! its not only Mr Governor, virtually all of us in APC have this mindset that Saraki have been using parts of local government revenue for his personal affairs, in fact, the Governors was told that it was Local Governments that are funding private jets being  used  by Saraki to travel up and down while he was Senate President." " The Governor was presented with so many misleading information about past government and Dr Bukola Saraki and he is now getting to know most of these claims are untrue, “  the sources submitted.

Obviously, the new Governor having been fed with several political lies, un-existing fabrications and malicious presentations designed by politicians around him against Dr Bukola Saraki perhaps to gain the Governor sympathy, since it now appears in Kwara that the fastest way that any politicians may use to clinch recognition is by attacking the person and name of former president of Nigerian Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki. Thanks to APC government which have assisted this group of people by officially carrying out malicious propaganda and image laundering agenda against the same man .

The new Government acting on these unconfirmed stories of imagination quickly grow serious appetites to unravel the truth and the start point was the local government spending patterns over a long periods of time that the government consultants began their audits.

Sources close to Governor narrated how surprised the governor was after receiving the audit reports from some selected local government and no traces to Saraki was discovered. The Governor out of disbelieve was reported to have asked his consultants if their reports was truly representations of local governments finances and if Saraki name didn't appear as beneficiary of any fund. To the Governors disbelieve ,the consultants responded in affirmative .

On hearing this, Governor Rahaman was said to have immediately called on Perm Sec, ministry of finance to hurriedly transmit already prepared vouchers for local government chairmen for immediate disbursement of their running cost . Aside from this approval , the governor was said to have faced one of his aides who stood close to him at that time a very challenging question ,”Why then should we dissolve them if they are not involve in misappropriation”? The governor queried.

In no distance time after this approval , the Chairmen began to  receive alerts for their individual running cost  but the major concern of council Chairmen now is that the government have been excluding them from major official programs of state government since inauguration of Governor Rahaman , an action which instilled fear in them and which triggered their desperate desires to meet the new Governor and express their feelings

Another sources  which are in the game confided in this medium that the 16 local government Chairmen have been visiting top APC stalwarts including HRH, the Oloffa of Offa to help them draw the Governors attention.

According to information, HRH, Oloffa was said to have called Governor and discussed their matters with the  but the Governor response to the royal father appeared to be dicey .

Whether the Governor will show them the way out or not still remains to be decided by time but the Chairmen have been making frantic efforts in securing their offices , they already approached court to stop the Governor from taking action to dissolve them and the judgement is expected to be pronounced today on that subject .

This was how innocence of Dr Bukola Saraki paved ways for payment of May running cost to council and delay in actions of Governor Rahaman from dissolving the council Chairmen .