Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Kwara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has slated September 20 to give judgment in the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Rasak Atunwa, challenging the election of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Atunwa is challenging AbdulRazaq’s election on the ground that the governor allegedly presented a forged secondary school certificate and was therefore not qualified to run.
Other respondents in the case are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), AbdulRazaq and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the resumption of the hearing yesterday, counsel to Atunwa and the other respondents spoke adopted their final written addresses before the three-person tribunal chaired by Justice Bassey Efiong.
They urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
Meanwhile, Governor has promised to complete abandoned or ongoing projects because ignoring them would amount to wasting public funds already sunk into them.
He said though he inherited a decrepit Government House, which he said reflected the general breakdown of infrastructure in the state, he would prioritise things that directly affect people’s welfare instead of embarking on rehabilitation of his own office when he assumed office on May 29. He spoke when the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, paid the traditional Bareke visit to the Government House.
AbdulRazaq, who spoke through his deputy, Mr. Kayode Alabi, said his administration has started fixing three major water works across the three senatorial districts, namely the Asa Dam, Lafiagi Waterworks, and Igbaja waterworks, to ease water problem across the state.
He listed other steps he has taken to include the resuscitation of Radio Kwara, the commencement of fresh round of polio vaccination, resolution of the crises at and re-accreditation of the Colleges of Education, ending Kwara’s pariah status at the Universal Basic Education Commission with the payment of its N450m debt, payment of various counterparts funds in health sector and road construction, payment of N100 million gratuities to pensioners, payment of running costs to government ministries after many years, and ongoing talks with federal and development agencies to develop the state.
