The Kwara State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party are locked in a war of words over an allegation that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq secretly awarded an $800 million contract to his elder brother, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq.
The claim was made on Wednesday by a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress and supporter of the Ò Tọ̀ Gẹ́ movement, Hon. Ilyasu Ibrahim, during a radio programme in the state.
In a swift reaction on Thursday, the state government, through the Commissioner for Communications, Bolanle Olukoju, dismissed the allegation as “false, malicious, reckless and intended to cause mischief.”
The government insisted no such contract was awarded and that no project of such magnitude had been received from the Federal Government.
“At no time did the government award a contract worth $800m to anyone. The claim by Hon. Ilyasu Ibrahim that His Excellency awarded an empowerment programme or project worth $800m to his elder brother is baseless and malicious,” the statement read.
The government described Alimi as a respected legal practitioner and Bencher, insisting he is “not a contractor.”
It further criticised the radio station for allegedly allowing the programme to air without caution, warning that “giving a platform to misinformation poses a risk to public peace.”
The government also urged the National Broadcasting Commission to review the programme, adding that private citizens who allegedly defamed during the broadcast were free to seek legal redress.
However, the PDP, in a statement released on Friday by its Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, accused the government of evading the real issue.
“The government machinery was rolled out to defend a private family matter. This is the definition of conflict of interest,” PDP said.
The opposition party accused the government of attacking the radio station instead of providing a straightforward answer.
“Did Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq secretly award a contract worth $800m to his brother or not?”, it asked.
The PDP demanded a direct explanation from the governor, a statement from his brother, and a full list of contracts awarded since 2019.
“We also demand a forensic review of a previous transformer contract allegedly linked to another ‘AbdulRazaq’, who reportedly received 85% upfront but failed to deliver, and protection for SBS FM against intimidation,” the PDP demanded.
The PDP described the repeated appearance of the AbdulRazaq name in controversial contract stories as “a disturbing pattern,” warning that “Kwarans are not foolish.”
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