Kwara PDP, KAI Mock APC National Leadership for ‘Falsely Affixing’ Doctorate Title to AbdulRazaq’s Name

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend mocked the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Senator Adamu Abdullahi for ‘deliberately misleading’ the public by affixing a doctorate title to the name of the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in a public document.

Also, the Kwara Advancement Initiative (KAI) has asked the governor to tow the path of honour by clearing the doubts on his academic qualification which has again been brought back to life through an error made by the national headquarters of the APC.

The issue on the certificate status of Governor AbdulRazaq became a topic of debate again after a national online medium, Premium Times, in a new story last Monday, queried the list of the 86-member APC Campaign Council for the July 15 governorship election in Osun State, in which the party referred to AbdulRazaq  as a doctorate degree holder.

AbdulRazaq’s secondary education background has also  been a subject of litigation before the 2019 governorship election in the state.

However, the PDP in a statement issued in Ilorin and signed by its state Chairman, Rt. Hon. Babatunde Mohammed, said the APC was dressing

AbdulRazaq in deceptive robe, querying why the party referred to the governor, “who has a questionable school certificate as a doctorate degree holder,” describing it as a deceit.

Babatunde said: “It was shameful and disappointing that Kwara, a state with abundance of intellectuals and brilliant minds, is being governed by a man with controversial SSCE qualification, and who never had any form of tertiary education.

“AbdulRazaq’s low education and exposure largely account for his apparent poor leadership quality, ineptitude and maladministration that have brought nothing but retrogression to the state and despondency to the people. Indeed, no man can give what he does not possess.

“In the last three years, Kwarans have witnessed the alleged failure of Governor AbdulRazaq’s administration on all governance fronts, including his alleged poor management of the economy which has plunged the state into debt. He continues to show that he is truly a ‘leader by accident’ who was not prepared for governance and leadership.”

He added: “As we prepare for another general election in 2023, we want to urge Kwarans to pay attention to important yardsticks like educational qualifications and leadership qualities in assessing candidates vying for political positions, especially office of the governor.

“We must look into our parameters for voting candidates into public offices, and there must be a level we cannot afford to descend to.”

Meanwhile, KAI has described the confusion surrounding the academic qualification of AbdulRazaq as a dent on the image of the state and an embarrassment to the people over whom the governor governs.

KAI in the statement signed by Hajia Adeola Badiru said the silence of AbdulRazaq could be taken as a confirmation of the content of the online newspaper’s report which is in tandem with the claims by the governor’s opponent.

The group said the refusal by the governor to clear the air on the issue amounted to daring the electorate whose mandate the governor enjoys.

The statement read: “The governor is again yet to clear the air on the controversy surrounding his claim to have obtained a first degree, and it is high time he saved us this huge humiliation once and for all.

“We have had a number of Kwara citizens serve in this capacity and even in higher offices, and at no time were their academic qualifications a source of worry or insult to the people of the state. So, why is AbdulRazaq putting us in this unpalatable situation?

“His refusal to give clarification on his actual educational qualifications has made it difficult to dispute the wide belief that Governor AbdulRazaq’s poor academic qualification is the reason for his woeful performance in office, especially in the management of the economy.