The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has criticised the planned trial of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and ex-governor Abdulfatah Ahmed over the 2018 Offa robbery, describing it as a political move aimed at reviving a national tragedy for “cheap political gains.”
The party said the development was troubling and “strikes at the very core of justice, humanity and responsible governance.”
Addressing journalists in Ilorin, PDP spokesperson Olusegun Adewara accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of attempting to reopen a concluded judicial process for political advantage.
He said: “Let it be known that unlike 2018 when such narratives were weaponised to manipulate public perception, the PDP will not sit idly while the governor attempts to inflame tension and poison the political atmosphere in the state.
“Just like the overwhelming majority of Kwarans, we are shocked by recent reports in national dailies of a plot by the state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to reopen and politicise the already concluded judicial process surrounding the Offa robbery tragic incident, with a calculated attempt to frame our party’s leader Senator Bukola Saraki.
“We make bold to say that this is dirty politics taken too far. It is both insensitive and dangerous for the governor to trivialise a tragedy of such magnitude– an incident that left deep scars on the people of Offa, many of whom are still grappling with the trauma and loss.”
Adewara also called on residents of Offa, especially families affected by the robbery, to resist what he described as political exploitation of their experiences.
“We call on the people of Offa, particularly the families directly affected by the robbery incident, to reject this shameful attempt to turn their painful memories into tools of political propaganda.
“It is both unreasonable and illogical to associate a statesman of Senator Saraki’s standing with such heinous crime.”
He further alleged that the move was intended to divert attention from governance challenges in the state.
“the action of the governor is aimed at creating unnecessary tension and disorder from his administration’s glaring failures.”
I