Very recently, in less than a fortnight interval, two important personalities resigned from the cabinet of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; first been the Special Adviser on Health – Professor Wale Suleiman and later, the embattled erstwhile commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs – Aisha Ahman Pategi, who was also touted to be the Governor’s mistress before their relationship went sore.

Professor Suleiman cited his inability to fulfil his target of creating opportunities and give hope to less privileged, using his skills, expertise and professional network under Abdulrazaq’s administration as reason for exiting his political appointment, Pategi in her own case, gave no specific reason for leaving the cabinet.

Although, analysts strongly believe her resignation is not unconnected with the popular #300million local government fund diversion scandal that rocked the Commissioner for Finance – Olasumbo Florence.

While Governor Abdulrazaq, through his Chief Press Secretary tried managing information about the resignation of Prof. Suleiman and announced it only when he found replacement for him, Pategi’s resignation came as a shock and the information filtered into the media space, even before it was officially announced by the State government.

Prof. Suleiman however, seemed displeased with the casual mode of announcement of his resignation, he therefore took to the social media to explicitly state reasons for his resignation from the cabinet of Gov. Abdulrazaq, a development that appear not to go down well with CPS to the Governor – Rafiu Ajakaiye with recent veiled attacks on his person.

Days after, both Prof. Wale Suleiman and Aisha Pategi have come under subtle and open attack by Rafiu Ajakaiye and his boys. While Ajakaiye was out openly to drag the two ex-appointees of his principal, his boys hid under pseudo accounts to paraphrase Ajakaiye’s opinion about the resignation of the ex-appointees in very hostile manner.

A development that has attracted wide condemnation from Kwarans who believed the two individuals should not be derided for deciding to leave a government, after sacrificing to serve their state.

Insider information reveals there has been serious discordance between the CPS to the Governor and some of the cabinet members, especially some Commissioners including Pategi, who resisted the CPS (Ajakaiye’s) attempt to stampede their official activities in relation to information (concealment) management.

While Ajakaiye had through a press statement, said the Governor sees Prof Sulaiman as an ally, leaving his cabinet position to pursue his long-time passion of maximising his contacts in the global health and non-health sectors to deepen interaction with the Nigerian diaspora and attract investments.

Ajakaiye added that “The Governor acknowledges the many positive contributions of Prof. Wale Suleiman and the great strides he achieved together with him and others in the development of our health sector, including the campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor thanks him most sincerely for what the administration has achieved together with him and wish him all the best in his future endeavour.”

Although, nothing substantial was said about Aisha Pategi’s resignation, unfolding events reflects the press statement announcing resignation of both Prof Suleiman and Pategi are either not true reflection of what led to their exit and Governor Abdulrazaq’s opinion about the duo, giving cognizance to Ajakaiye’s latest expository.

Perhaps, everyone not on same page with the Governor is now a ‘money monger’, simple engrossed with overbearing desires to make riches out of public funds. Or would Ajakaiye express an opinion defiant of his principal’s?

“…But the truth is that this was not the norm in Kwara. Surrounded and constantly derided by some persons, probably even some in the family, whose expectations and perception of public office were shaped by the old order where sudden wealth was the hallmark of public office and where public appointees paid the exorbitant tuition of their children in foreign schools or lavishly funded the wedding of their children and so on, it is natural for some persons to feel deflated following a man whose conception of Otoge is for things to be done differently.

Faced with the prospect of ‘our people’ saying they risk coming out of government poorer and without status cars in their garage, it will not be unusual to see some appointees taking a walk…”

These are the words of Rafiu Ajakaiye in his latest opinion.

In an article titled “Otoge was more than what their greed can survive” hiding under one pseudo Yusuf Gegele, Ajakaiye’s opinion was given an explicit and more hostile exposition. Ajakaiye’s crony in Gegele’s robe said “He (Gov. Abdulrazaq) gave Aisha Ahman Pategi and Prof. Wale Suleiman several opportunities, he continuously mentored them on empathy and being prudent with public funds but these are seeds from the past administration, they are beyond redemption and there is no way they will survive a government that is dedicated to serve its people.”

He furthered that “Gladly we survived the scam of Prof. Wale Suleiman when he nominated his personal company to supply medical equipment at over 500% market value, inflated cost of renovating hospitals all this met AbdulRahman’s disapproval. No way will Wale survive a prudent government. Aisha Pategi will refer to herself as “Her Excellency” and fraudulently kept collecting monthly naira (₦) from each DPM. Aisha will tell unsuspecting investors that she is the bosses second wife and will get approval for their quest, she will extort the innocent people and made herself look larger than life, saying that this has affected investors confidence. How she stole our Royal Fathers (Emirs, Obas, Magaji and Baales) allowance. Another of Aisha’s greed is on the shoddy recruitment of Local Government Secretariat Cleaners where she inflated the numbers and got away with naira (₦), how will she survive her new ministry if she cannot steal?! I will say good riddance to bad rubbish.”

This positions speak volume and it is indicting on the appointees who took walk away from Gov. Abdulrazaq’s cabinet and Kwarans deserve to be told more by His Excellency, to be fair to himself and those appointees that exited his cabinet. Or it will simply mean the Governor derives pleasure in tagging people no longer in his good books negatively, regardless of how productive his relationship with such people has been for the state, and even personally.

As a distraction, it is utterly ridiculous to say a controversial Ordinary level (SSCE) holder is mentoring a Professor and Masters holder. But overzealous efforts to please political leaders debase people’s intellectual propensity.

It won’t take any sane mind to dot the ‘I’, and rationalize the nexus between Ajakaiye’s subtle revelations on the reason for the resignation of the two appointees and the paraphrase by pseudo Lukman Gegele. The question is “why did Governor Abdulrazaq not sack them when he realized their desires are contrary to his administrative thrust and Kwarans aspirations?” Why were they not exposed all along, and why was Aisha Pategi’s first resignation few weeks ago not accepted?”.

If the duo of Prof Suleiman and Pategi have been known for monumental corruption tendency and Gov. Abdulrazaq still keeps them in his cabinet, it is a pointer that the many allegations of corruption in his government are true and are only being covered up over time. It also means that there are many other corrupt appointees in his government enjoying his shield, simply because they are in his good book.

It demonstrates lack of will by the Governor to do the right things in Kwara’s interest, which is sad commentary and in itself anti Otoge ideology.

Did the duo of Prof Suleiman and Aisha Pategi opt out of Gov. Abdulrazaq’s cabinet all in the name of inability to live stupendous lifestyles out of public office? Kwarans needed to be told more by the Governor, to document their sojourn in Kwara politics and governance in appropriate book of history. In a way that we are fair to them and the sensibility of the good people of Kwara state.

Qozeem Adelodun Imam-Soliu, is a Kaduna based Political scientist.