Kwara govt, PDP clash over alleged secret $800m contract

The Kwara State Government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are at loggerheads over an alleged $800 million contract purportedly awarded by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to his elder brother, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq.

The PDP had cited a claim made by an APC chieftain and former House of Assembly member, Iliasu Ibrahim, who alleged during a live radio programme that the governor secretly awarded the multi-million-dollar contract to his brother.

However, the state government dismissed the allegation as false and irresponsible. Commissioner for Communications, Bolanle Olukoju, affirmed that no such contract was ever awarded.

“The state government did not at any time award a contract to the governor’s elder brother, Dr Alimi AbdulRazaq,” she stated, describing Ibrahim’s comments as “false, reckless, ill-conceived and intended to cause mischief”.

She stressed that Kwara State had never received, nor awarded, any federal government project or empowerment worth $800 million (N1.2 trillion), noting that the claim lacked credibility and specificity.

Olukoju also criticised the radio station that hosted the programme, accusing it of enabling the spread of disinformation without cautioning the guest.

The PDP, in a counter-statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, said the allegation was too serious to be ignored, particularly as it came from a member of the governor’s political family. The party argued that the claim raised ethical and legal concerns about the management of the state’s resources.

The government has called on the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to review the incident, while the PDP insists the matter warrants deeper scrutiny.