Bawa-led Kwara PDP Exco Lacks Authority To Suspend Me From Party…Saraki Not Leader Of Our Faction-Ladi Hassan

Former Chief of Staff, Government House, Ilorin, Alhaji Ladi Hassan on Saturday asserted that Kwara State PDP exco headed by Alhaji Isa Adamu Bawa is not in a position to suspend him from the party because they do not belong to the same faction.

He noted that two factions currently exist in the party with two different set of leaders and presidential candidates, the exco under Alhaji Isa Bawa’s leadership therefore lacks the authority to suspend him from the party.

‘First of all, on the issue of factions, it’s a well-known fact that there are two factions in the PDP – The Wike-led faction and the Turaki-led faction. By my political association, I have been a member of the Wike faction. But I have since left them. I am no longer part of them. So, I belong to the Turaki camp.

If I don’t belong to your camp, who are you suspending? So, the suspension is baseless, meaningless because you can’t suspend someone who isn’t part of you.

I belong to the group that recognizes the Turaki-led interim National Working Committee. Recall that the day former president Jonathan was chosen as our presidential candidate, you’ll see that I featured prominently. So, how will you suspend someone who has left you? It doesn’t make sense’ Alhaji Ladi Hassan, who is the Kwara State PDP gubernatorial candidate of the Turaki faction, submitted while responding to a reporter’s question during the press conference he held to unveil his ‘governorship agenda’ and economic blueprint at Fresh Hotel, Ilorin on Saturday.

The press conference was attended by journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com.

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Supporters sang and danced as they received Alhaji Ladi Hassan at the Tunde Idiagbon International Airport, Ilorin while the entre concourse later left for Fresh Hotel, venue of the press conference.

Making a veiled reference to his relationship with former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, a reporter asked if he has foreclosed reconciliation and the guber candidate noted that in politics there are always rooms for reconciliation.

‘Politics is a continuous process. It’s a matter of interests, you can always meet. You can agree and disagree. When there are rooms for reconciliation, you’ll sit down and discuss. That is what is lacking in my previous place, you don’t have rooms for talks like that.. 

There’s usually a period to sit down and talk. When that opportunity comes, we’ll sit down and talk. We have advised them several times, even before we got to this level, we advised those who are handling our national affairs to sit down and discuss and handle issues amicably. But for one reason or the other – some called it ego, others described it as being pompous – they refused to sit down to talk. If they had sat down to discuss, we wouldn’t get to this level. 

Anytime there’s opportunity in politics, you sit down and discuss. You don’t close your door. You’ll leave it open in order to move forward and get things done in a better way’ he said.

Alhaji Ladi Hassan also described as untrue insinuations that he is being sponsored by the ruling APC to destabilize the state PDP.

‘I am not working for APC. APC is a party, PDP is a party, except you want to make me ‘Wike of Kwara’ which I am not prepared to do. Maybe we may have a meeting point, but for now, I am not working for APC. That is categorical. And I don’t work in secret. If I want to do something, I do it openly’ he submitted.

The PDP guber candidate also told reporters that since he belongs to the Turaki faction, the question of Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki being his political leader does not arise.

‘Yes, Bukola Saraki has been my leader for 25 years. I’ve worked with him for that long. But for now, I am not working with him. It’s known that Wike and Saraki are in the same camp. As far as Kwara State is concerned, for the Wike group, Saraki is the leader. But he cannot also be the leader of the Turaki group at the same time, it is not possible. We don’t have a Rambo coalition in Kwara. Bukola Saraki is the leader of the Wike/Saraki group. He’s not the leader of the Turaki group’ he added.

Submitting that he had launched the gubernatorial bid to answer the call of history, Alhaji Ladi Hassan also asserted that he is well-prepared and ready for the governorship duties and responsibilities while noting that ‘the time has come to move beyond a consumption-driven economy and build a production-driven economy’ and adding that ‘the time has come to create wealth rather than mere distribution of resources and the time has come to position Kwara State as one of Nigeria’s leading centres of productivity and enterprise’.

‘Our administration will actively encourage industrial development through policies that attract investment, support local industries, promote value addition, and stimulate manufacturing activities. Agricultural products should not only be harvested and sold in their raw form. They should be processed. They should be packaged. They should be transformed into higher-value products capable of generating greater income and creating more jobs. We shall promote agro-processing industries, manufacturing clusters, industrial parks, and investment zones capable of attracting both domestic and foreign investment.

 Technology and innovation will equally occupy a central position within our economic agenda. The future economy will increasingly be driven by knowledge, innovation, digital technology, and entrepreneurship. Kwara must position itself to benefit from these opportunities. We shall encourage technology development, support innovation hubs, promote digital literacy, and create an environment that enables young innovators and entrepreneurs to thrive’ he submitted.

Alhaji Ladi Hassan also promised that if elected governor next year, his administration will not only create new jobs but will also work towards making Kwara  become the leading exporter of shea butter, Cotton, Cassava and others from the country. 

 He also preached unity and urged all hands on deck to move the state forward.

‘Political disagreements are inevitable in every democracy. Different opinions will always exist. Different approaches will always emerge. However, we must never allow temporary political differences to become permanent obstacles to progress. The future of Kwara State is far too important. The welfare of our people is far too important. The hopes of our young people are far too important. The security of our communities is far too important. The prosperity of future generations is far too important.

 For this reason, I extend a sincere hand of fellowship to all stakeholders, leaders, supporters, progressives, party members, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, women organizations, professionals, and every citizen who desires a better future for our state.

 This is not a time for division. This is not a time for bitterness. This is not a time for exclusion. This is a time for reconciliation. This is a time for rebuilding. This is a time for unity. This is a time to bring together experience and innovation, elders and young people, professionals and grassroots leaders, urban communities and rural communities in pursuit of a common objective.

Let us work together to build a state where security is guaranteed, where opportunities are abundant, where poverty is reduced, where institutions are strengthened, and where every citizen can live with dignity and hope’ he said.

Alhaji Hassan did not only talk about his vision for Kwara State but also touched on the ‘policy platform’.

‘Our objective is not merely to improve statistics. Our objective is to improve lives. Our objective is to raise the standard of living of ordinary citizens, expand economic opportunities, reduce poverty, eliminate hunger, and build a Kwara State that future generations will be proud to inherit & call their home’ he said.

Talking about the strategies he will introduce and adopt in respect of tackling insecurity in the state, Alhaji Hassan said his administration will pursue a comprehensive security strategy built upon stronger collaboration between conventional security agencies, traditional institutions, local communities, intelligence networks, technology-driven surveillance systems, and community-based early tracking mechanisms.

‘There is a need to move from reactive approach to proactive approach in respect of the fight against insecurity and my administration will do this if elected governor next year’ he added.

Presenting his ‘value proposition’, Alhaji Hassan also asserted that he is the best man for the job.

‘I believe I am prepared for the governorship duties and responsibilities because my journey has provided me with a unique combination of experiences across both the private and public sectors over a period spanning more than four decades.

 My professional foundation was built within the private sector where I learned the principles of discipline, accountability, strategic planning, productivity, and effective resource management. These experiences exposed me to the realities of economic growth, enterprise development, and organizational leadership.

I was subsequently privileged to serve in several important public offices at both the state and federal levels that include Chief of Staff, Government House, Ilorin, Commissioner for Health, Chairman of Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB), Chairman of the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, and Mandate Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Abuja.

These positions provided me with firsthand experience in governance, public administration, healthcare management, education, policy implementation, human capital development, and institutional leadership’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079,  08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you