Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has claimed that Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is out for vengeance against his family.
The Kwara State Government had yesterday announced that a pice of land being used by the Saraki Family in Ilorin had been taken over by the Kwara State Government . This was made known in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Kwara Governor, Rafiu Ajakaiye on Friday, December 27, 2019.
It was revealed that the land was originally meant for the State Secretariat and parking space of the Civil Service Clinic, but was without any record of payment, unlawfully allocated to a private firm, Asa Investments Limited.
Part of the land, situated beside the Civil Service Clinic, is also right in front of late Dr Olusola Saraki’s residence.
But Saraki in a statement on Saturday has reacted to the governor’s decision to revoke a land occupied by his family in Ilorin, the state capital.
In a statement on Friday, Abdulrazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaiye, claimed the land was originally meant for government secretariat and parking space of a clinic.
But in a statement he personally signed, Saraki who once governed the state, insisted the land was duly allocated and a Right of Occupancy title issued on it.
“It should be noted that the excuse given by Abdulrazaq in his revocation order holds no water since it is clear that this is the height of his vengeance against my father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki and I.
“This action is clearly a manifestation of vengeance … in his narrow-mindedness, he believes his victory at the polls is an empowerment, entitlement and enablement to settle scores, provoke and pursue inter-family rivalry. They expected development and fulfillment of promises.
“Seven months down the line, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has shown that its cardinal Programme is to wage war against my late father and I. He has demonstrated that his only competence and astuteness is in the area of viciously assailing the late Oloye Saraki and I. Definitely, he is a man with no sense of history. Enough is enough. Now, he has crossed the line.
“Perhaps, I should let it be known that if Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq thinks he is taking all these actions to get at me, he is only deceiving himself. There is no basis for competition between us. Our paths cannot cross because the status that he is struggling to attain, Almighty Allah has given it to me many years before now.
“With all his subterranean and open moves against my family, person and property, I remain unmoved.
“However, his open antagonism against my late father and his legacies is unwarranted and will not be tolerated. He has definitely gone beyond bounds as he cannot be allowed to ride roughshod on the deceased. In this war against my late father, he will not win,” the statement read.
According to NAN reports, the late Saraki built a house and named it ‘Ile Arugbo’ (elderly peoples’ home).
According to the statement, no certificate of occupancy was issued in favour of the firm.
The statement explained that the government has now made provisions for the secretariat in the 2020 budget, although its construction will spill over to 2021.
“Hundreds of civil servants still operate from rented apartments at a huge cost to the government.
“The new secretariat, once completed in 2021, will definitely go a long way to end this unhealthy trend as well as provide a more conducive and decent working environment for government workers,” the statement added.
Rafiu added that Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has signed a constitutional instrument withdrawing the allocation of plots of land 1, 3 and 5 to the firm.
He said that the said land was unlawfully appropriated contrary to the purpose for which it was meant.
The revocation order read: “In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) 1999 and Section 1 and 28 of the Land Use Act Cap. L.5 of 2004 and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Governor of Kwara State of Nigeria, give the following notice:
“The Notice may be cited as the Land Use (Revocation of Right of Occupancy and withdrawal of allocation) Notice, 2019.
