How Bukola Saraki forced us to resign against our wishes – Kwara Chairmen, Councilors

Sen. Bukola Saraki

Coalition of Council Chairmen and Councillors in Kwara State, have alleged that former governor, Bukola Saraki
unjustly, illegally and unconstitutionally forced them to resign from their respective positions.

In a normal circumstance, the elected officials in the sixteen (16) Local Government Councils should be in office for three years as recognised by the law.

In this case, the tenure of the aggrieved persons should ordinarily lapse in November 26, 2013 as against 10th November, 2013, the date they were “forcefully” directed to resign en mass.

The group told DailyPost that for reasons best known to Saraki, a serving Senator, his protege Governor, Fatai Ahmed and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, they were all rail-roaded into resigning, purportedly to allow the incoming LG executives to take over.

According to them, “we were only handed with already prepared draft of resignation letter, with a strict instruction that we append our signatures or face the consequences.”

Leaders of the coalition in an SOS forwarded to DailyPost and signed by Abdumumini Alege (ILORIN WEST), Ajeigbe Soliu (ASA), Semiu Otolorin (ASA) and Bashira Lawal (WEST) stated that since they were too scared to go against the instructions of the leaders, they refused the temptation to protest at the Great Hall in Ilorin on Tuesday.

They noted that their colleagues too complained and grumbled in muted voices for fear of witch-hunt.

Explaining further, the officials said the dummy sold to them was that with the resignation, the payment of the last month salary (October) as well as severance package would be made easy.

The petitioners also doubt payment of salary for the month of November, which they would have been entitled to before the unilateral order was issued.

“It is in the light of the above that we bring this formal complaint to the public through your medium,” they appealed.

“We believe we should not suffer the double jeopardy of losing our jobs as well as the remunerations that we should ordinarily be entitled to, simply because of the evil orchestration of some few selfish individuals in our great party.

“It behoves us that Senator Saraki would treat us this unjustly when his alleged grouse against the national leadership of our party (PDP), is the injustice meted to a section of the party.

“Doesn’t this amount to double standard when we fail to act what we preach? How would we be cheaply sacrificed by the leader just to please the incoming executives? they asked. “Have we been so quickly used and abandoned by the leader and the Party?”

While calling on all Kwarans and Nigerians to come to their aide, the Council Chairmen and Councillors in Kwara State, appealed to the Kwara PDP and the state government to do what is right without further delay