The Press Officer on Local Matters to former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Mr Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir has debunked the claim made by Mr Ladi Hassan, the suspended governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in which he claimed that the former governor of Kwara State has been his leader for 25 years.
In a press statement in Ilorin, Abdulqadir stated that the true meaning any rational person can deduce from Hassan’s statement was that he has benefited from Saraki’s political group for 25 years and he was proud to be a member of the Saraki group when he was benefiting from the various top political offices he occupied.
The aide noted that Hassan decided to leave the Saraki political group when he failed to secure the governorship ticket for the 2027 general elections.
“When Mr Hassan was appointed state commissioner under the administration led by Dr Saraki, Saraki was his leader. When he was appointed chief of staff to then-Governor Saraki, Saraki was his leader. When he was also appointed as mandate secretary in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a federal appointment influenced by Dr Saraki, he had no reason to leave the Saraki group.
“One could recall that Mr Hassan was strongly advised in 2018 not to resign from the FCT administration because his premature exit amounted to a waste of the opportunities that would have come to Kwara State from that appointment. He refused because he was desperate to pursue the governorship ticket. After he failed in the 2018 bid, he left the Saraki political group. When he wanted to return to the group, he had to gather some party elders and community leaders to help him plead with Dr Saraki to accept him back into the group.
“Based on the elders’ intervention, Mr Hassan returned to the Saraki political fold and has since enjoyed all the respect due to an elder. His decision to contest in the last governorship primaries against advice from other elders and members in the group was clearly a solo effort and his exit now is merely a repeat of the stunt he has pulled before. However, this time around, it is good riddance to bad rubbish. I hope he knows that after he realises that his present effort is an exercise in futility, we the younger elements will not allow the leader to accept him back into the fold when he chooses to return as he did after the 2019 elections.
“For those of us, the younger ones, the wrong impression that Mr Hassan’s disloyal actions and statements are creating is that we in Kwara State are inconsistent and only stay somewhere when we are enjoying the goodies. This is unfortunate. It is not a good example that is being set for the younger ones. It is really very bad.
“It is laughable that Mr Hassan can now afford to sponsor a press conference. This is a man who has never contributed a dime to help the party in his ward. He would not sponsor or contribute financially to party activities or projects. When there was a call for party leaders to contribute to the party’s purse or aid the party financially, Mr. Hassan would always be missing in action as he would stay back in Abuja. Today, he could afford to sponsor a press conference. We all know where the money is coming from and with time, all the disclosures will be made. We are all watching”, Abdulqadir stated.
