ABDULRAHMAN Abdulrazak, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Kwara, has vowed to repeal the law granting jumbo pensions to former governors and deputies in the state, if elected.

Abdulrasak said this on Thursday at the party’s campaign in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area, saying payment of pension to these former political office holders was detrimental to the socio-economic development of the state.

He said that his administration, if elected in the March 9 governorship election, would also put a stop to building of houses for past governors and their deputies.

“We need to change some terrible laws. We’ll repeal that obnoxious pension law when we get to office.

“It’s a privilege to become a governor of a state. It is dubious for anyone to become governor and then earn a pension more than the people who served the state for their entire lives.

“We cannot take that any more. But we need enough lawmakers to push through the repeal of the offensive law,” AbdulRazaq said.

He then urged the people to not only vote for him, but for all the APC candidates for the House of Assembly in the March 9 elections in Kwara.

“We need to bring jobs to our people. We need to address the security issues. Instead of funding police, they arm thugs.

“We will help the police by offering assistance they need to secure our communities,” he added.

He also promised to grant full autonomy to the local government councils, adding that this would grow the local economy and halt the unhealthy drift of people to the cities.

“We will put up a bill and send to the House of Assembly for immediate stoppage of pensions and building houses for past governors and their deputies.

“In as much as the constitution has ensured adequate well being and remunerations for the governors and their deputies, such gesture is a rip off, selfish, wastage and undue application of scarce resources.

“We will not allow such ungodly exercise to continue while such money will be channeled and directed toward improvement of social services and other developmental projects,” he said.

The APC candidate also promised to ensure that the self autonomy being agitated for by the 16 local government areas in the state was granted as a way of reinvigorating and revitalising the councils’ resources.

“Most of the councils presently have been crippled financially and in a state of comatose, courtesy of those saddled with the responsibility of managing and safeguarding our state resources.

“The councils are vital arm of government that should not be starved of adequate funds at every point in time for the overall benefit of our people, especially at the grassroots.

“We will ensure that funds allocated to the councils are delivered without any interference in order to achieve the desired aims and objectives,” he said.

Also, Mr Bashir Bolarinwa, the APC State Chairman, thanked the people for their support that ensured the emergence of all the party’s candidates in the National Assembly and Presidential elections held on Feb. 23.

He urged them to maintain the same spirit during the coming gubernatorial elections.

Hon. Raheem Olawuyi, the newly re-elected member of the House of Representative for Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, on his part, dedicated his re-election to God and the support of party members.

He promised to be a good ambassador of the constituency by promoting legislation that would make meaningful impact on the living standard of the people of the constituency and the state at large.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that over 500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who defected to the party were officially received by the APC State Chairman. (NAN)

– Feb. 28, 2019 @ 15:29 GMT |