A group, Kwara Concerned Citizens has stoutly defended the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed over the statement he issued on behalf of his party shortly after the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives respectively.
The group in a statement signed by Shaaba Lafiaji and Hezekiah Oyedepo also condemned a statement credited to a group in Kwara State threatening to deal with Mohammed for “for carrying out his duties diligently, as he has always done, by articulating the position of his party”.
It said the position of the anti- Mohammed group does not reflect that of the majority of the Kwara people who are proud of Mohammed for being a good ambassador of the state.
“We are astonished that for carrying out his duties diligently, as he has always done, by articulating the position of his party, Lai Mohammed has become a target of attacks and threats from some perfidious persons in his home state”.
“In order to put the issue in the proper perspective , we members of the Kwara Concerned Citizens have therefore decided to set the record straight by saying that the opinion of that self-serving group does not reflect that of the majority of the good people of Kwara, while also acknowledging the courage, loyalty, decency and professionalism of Lai Mohammed in carrying out his duties as the voice of the APC.
“In the first instance, the opinions expressed by Lai Mohammed in his statements are not his own, but that of his party.
Secondly, since he articulates the position of his party at many levels – including intra- and inter-party, national as well as international – he is expected, at all times, to put the interest of the party above his own personal interest”.
“We make bold to say that, to our pride as his kinsmen and indeed to wide acclamation across the land, he has performed his duties creditably”.
“It is therefore unfair, illogical and downright simplistic to conclude that Lai Mohammed’s statement conveying the immediate reaction of his party to the elections in the National Assembly means he is opposed to the election of his kinsman, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as the President of the Senate”.
“What was he expected to do in the circumstances? Refuse to carry out his duty as the APC’s spokesman just because of the involvement of his kinsman in the Senate leadership election? Infuse his own feelings and opinion into his party’s statement so that he won’t be seen as opposing his kinsman? Or issue his own statement reflecting his personal opinion, as against that of his party?”
“To the best of our knowledge, Lai Mohammed’s statement conveying his party’s reaction was not restricted to the election of Dr. Saraki alone, but also concerns that of Hon. Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We are not aware that to date, any group in Bauchi State, the home state of Hon. Dogara, has attacked or threatened Lai Mohammed for not supporting his emergence as Speaker” the group said.
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