Abdulrahman’s Political Crisis Cannot Be Wished Away

Adeniyi Ìṣhọlá says Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq's political crisis cannot be dismissed by attacking those who raise questions about it. He is responding to Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin, who defended the Kwara governor after Ìṣhọlá's earlier article asked whether Abdulrahman had fallen out of favour with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Ìṣhọlá says he would normally extend a rejoinder the courtesy of assuming that its author was arguing in good faith. He argues that Adedoyin's history of defending successive administrations makes that difficult, citing his support for the Mohammed Lawal, Saraki and Abdulfatai Ahmed governments before turning to Abdulrazaq's administration.

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hatchet job

The central issue, Ìṣhọlá says, is not whether he had privileged access to private conversations between Tinubu and Abdulrazaq. His earlier article examined a series of political developments and asked whether they pointed to a decline in the governor's standing at the centre, which he calls a legitimate subject for political commentary.

He focuses on Abdulrazaq's role as chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum. Ìṣhọlá asks why the governor held no prominent position on the APC Presidential Campaign Council beyond coordinating the campaign in his own state. He rejects the explanation that Abdulrazaq declined a national role because he faced a difficult electoral contest at home, arguing that the NGF chairman should have been an asset to a presidential campaign seeking support nationwide.

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blatant falsehood

Even accepting that explanation, Ìṣhọlá asks why Abdulrazaq failed to secure a single nominee of his own on the campaign council. A governor who chooses to concentrate on his state should still retain influence over appointments affecting his state and zone, he argues. Abdulrazaq secured neither, which Ìṣhọlá presents as evidence that party leaders excluded him rather than that he voluntarily opted out.

Ìṣhọlá also says Adedoyin did not dispute his claims about the crisis and division he attributes to Abdulrazaq within the Kwara APC. The response, he argues, attacked his motives instead, calling the original article a "hatchet job", "blatant falsehood" and "conjecture".

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conjecture