The Kwara Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is undergoing rebranding and reorganisation. It has even infused its party leadership with young people. However, what we have seen from the party in recent times is anything but responsible opposition. From spreading fake, unfounded news on its official social media pages to relying on and amplifying unconfirmed insinuations to make public statements, the party is going lower and lower. It remains to be seen the rebranded image they are trying to create to Kwarans.

Kwara PDP took its irresponsibility further yesterday when its spokesperson released a statement on the federal government rice palliative being distributed to citizens through the federal lawmakers (senators and house of representatives members). While it enriches our democracy for opposition parties to demand accountability and ask questions, the essence becomes defeated when such is laced with mischief and misinformation.

I had to go through their statement time and again to be clear I am not mistaken. Kwara PDP in an official statement was apparently relying on some beer parlour discussions and allegations to say the federal lawmakers in Kwara State had diverted the FG rice palliative and sold it in a market in Abuja?! That’s most unfortunate for an opposition party that is supposed to take on the ruling government with facts and figures. But for Kwara PDP, it’s never going to change its poor strategies. The Kwara people have known them for outright lies, falsehood and mischief. And they are trying hard to make this stick further.

The irresponsibility of Kwara PDP was again betrayed by the fact that one of the lawmakers in question Hon. Ahmed Yinka Aluko had clarified in the heat of the matter that he was yet to get the FG rice palliative due to some logistics challenges from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Special Assistant on Social Media to the President, Dada Olusegun, would later confirm the same position that not all lawmakers have received the palliative. But Kwara PDP is bent on tarring the APC lawmakers with a dirty brush.

I think the joke is on them. They are only reminding the public of their own reality when they were in government. Was it not the elements in Kwara PDP that diverted SUBEB grant, earning our state a blacklist by the federal agency? We know the growth and development opportunities this indiscipline denied our basic education. They diverted that money and defended it shamelessly. To this day, the administration of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed is yet to explain to Kwarans what happened to the loan they took from a bank, part of which was earmarked as recapitalisation fund for Harmony Holdings Limited. This fund to the tune of N4 billion was never given to the company.

Kwara PDP owns the record of diverting public funds and good. It’s therefore understandable if they are suspecting others to be living in their reality. Do they think we have forgotten in a hurry the case of diversion of about N2bn SME funds involving officials of their government? Or their lawmakers who diverted constituency projects to feather their own nest? One of them is Razaq Atunwa who represented Ilorin West/Asa at the green chamber. He got a road project and allegedly diverted it to another constituency (Ilorin South) just for his own convenience. The road reportedly leads to his personal house.

Kwara PDP should apologise immediately to the people for its misleading insinuations on APC lawmakers. The party needs to learn civilised and informed opposition. Mischief and falsehood will lead it nowhere.

Meanwhile, this is another opportunity for the APC lawmakers in Kwara to prove their unchanging stance on accountability and transparency to the people. They should creditably distribute the palliative to their constituents upon receipt. Aides of Mr. President should also be strategic in managing public communication to ensure clarity and capture all details going forward.

Abdulganiy writes from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital