2023: I will not be Part of Re-election Bid of AbdulRazaq in Kwara, Says Senator Oloriegbe

The dust raised during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Kwara State is yet to settle as the Senator representing Kwara Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, has said he will not be part of the re-election bid of the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in the 2023 polls. Oloriegbe, who is also the chairman, Senate Committee on Health, said: "I will only be part of the national campaigns of the party during the period." The senator lost his bid to return to the Senate in the just concluded APC primaries in the state. The former National Chairman of the party, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, emerged as the Kwara Central senatorial candidate of the party for the 2023 elections. Since then, tongues have continued to wag in the party over the conduct of the party primaries in the state. Senator Oloriegbe had also recently tackled the governor on a national television, where he described the APC in the state under AbdulRazaq’s leadership as a ‘mediocre’, challenging the governor to come out openly and swear by the Holy Quran that he didn’t thwart his victory at the party primaries. However, in a leaked audio recording from a recent political meeting with inner caucus of Senator Oloriegbe's APC supporters in Ilorin, which was obtained by the media in Ilorin, Oloriegbe allegedly said: “God will judge Governor AbdulRazaq for betraying me." While urging his supporters to accept the outcome of the APC primaries as the will of Allah, “even though greatly influenced by the mischief of men,” Oloriegbe said he laughed last the two times he had witnessed such disappointment. According to him, “In 2003, I didn’t get the ticket to return to the state Assembly, and even when late Governor Mohammed Lawal lost that election, God opened door to a big professional opportunity for me, that’s where I got money to build this house you are see-it’s not government money. “2011 was worse, because I lost in a general election. I had nothing doing after the elections. But immediately I returned to Abuja, I got another bigger professional opportunity. “The scenario in 2014 is similar to what just happened in APC. Some hours to the primaries (in 2014), they came to persuade me to step down for AbdulRazaq because they wanted to consider Dele Belgore (SAN) in whose camp I fell in for gubernatorial candidate. "Just like you are crying now, that was how people were crying then, because we were really prepared. However, we told them there would be a repercussion because it was not done in good faith and it really had a repercussion.” Oloriegbe further said: “The scenario in the just concluded APC primaries differs from the 2014 scenario for three reasons-I was the one that rallied the other two senators’ (Kwara South and North) support for the governor when there was division in the party. So, if he feels betrayal is the best way to pay me back, God will judge it.” “I am a leader in this party, and if he (AbdulRazaq) doesn’t want me to go back, we should sit and talk about it. But for him to act deceptively as though he was supporting me, just to make a U-turn three days to the primary election, there is God! “Secondly, I am still a sitting Senator and I have one more year to go. Those they gave tickets doesn’t become Senators automatically, let’s look at the outcome of the elections and see what God will do in 2023.”