Governor of Kwara State, Ahmed Abdulfatah has blamed the media for blowing out of proportion the crisis in the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), just as he disclosed the governors, as responsible people, would resolve their issues accordingly.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Abuja, Mr. Abdulfatah denied knowledge of a division within the rank of governors.
“I am not aware there is a divide. I am just aware there are few differences which will be sorted out by the laws of the NGF,” he said.
According to him, “It’s just the making of the newspaper men. I am sure that as governors, we are responsible people. We will sit down and sort out our issues accordingly.”
Responding to a question on the lingering crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Gov. Abdulfatah remarked that it was not uncommon to have differences among members of the ruling party as a result of its size.
He stated: “The PDP is a very big party and the PDP is undergoing a lot of transformation. No doubt, you will see differences from time to time; but don’t forget that these are opinions that are different and we are bound to come together.
“If we have not been coming together, we will not be as strong as we are today. This party has stood the test of time and it will continue to stand the test of time.”
On his mission to the State House, the soft-spoken governor said he came to discuss with the President, “purely developmental issues” as they related to his state.
While commending the Federal Government’s approach to the construction of federal roads in the country, the governor noted that his state was being owed about N4 billion by the Federal Government being the amount it expended on federal roads within Kwara.
According to him, “For now we still have outstanding monies with the Federal Government running up to about 3 to 4 billion naira, but I am very happy with the process the Federal Government is using to approach the construction of federal roads across the country.
“For us now, we are on the same page with the Federal Government. They have given us strict guidelines on what to follow before we embark on rehabilitation of federal roads and that is what we are doing; and I am sure they will also carry out their own part of the transaction.”
He called for the speedy completion of the Ilorin-Ibadan dual carriage way for easy movement of people and goods in the state.
