Revocation of land: Saraki draws battle line with Kwara gov

Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has stated that Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has crossed the line of decency with his recent efforts to erase the legacies of his (Saraki’s) late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki.

Saraki, in a statement he personally signed and released in Lagos, a copy of which Sunday Tribune has seen, stated that the war of attrition waged against the legacy of his father and everything that belongs to the late politician simply portrayed the governor as a man who lacks the sense of history and sets out only to fight the Saraki family, but not to serve the interest of the people of Kwara.

“Yesterday night, Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, finally showed his true colour, when he announced his decision to revoke the ownership of a property rightfully held by my late father, Dr. Olusola Abubakar Saraki, on Plots 1, 3 and 5 Ilofa Road, GRA, Ilorin, popularly known as Ile Arugbo, (old people’s home) which has for over two decades been used to host the weekly gathering of a multitude of aged people in the society who are provided food, money and health services, as part of the social welfre programme sponsored by the late politician. The tradition has since been maintained.

“Before now, this same governor had invited all members of the state House of Assembly and directed them to commence the process of amending the law to change the name of the state university which the last administration renamed after my late father.

“He then followed up on this act of vengeance by initiating a bill to rename the university and expunge the name of the late (Dr.) Saraki. Now, he has decided to also revoke the titles of the landed property which belongs to the late politician. May be Abdulrazaq thinks his will be the last administration in Kwara State; but definitely, this is self delusion,” he said.

The former president of the Senate said he wondered how the governor would lie against a deceased, adding that contrary to the government’s claim, the land was duly allocated to one of the late Chief Saraki’s companies.

“The property was allocated to my late father under the name of one of his companies, Asa Investment Limited, and contrary to the claim of the governor, the land was properly 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 and me.”