Barrister Razak Atunwa is the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly. In this interview with ABDULLAHI OLESIN of The Leadership, Atunwa says the people of the state remain staunchly behind the leadership of Dr. Bukola Saraki and they believe in the cause he's fighting in the polarised Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

What is the current political situation in Kwara State?

Kwara State remains politically stable for many reasons. Firstly, Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed has achieved high standards in governance. However, the main factor is that we continue to maintain the unique political structure which is headed by Senator Bukola Saraki. It is a structure, which was founded by the late Dr Olusola Saraki (May his soul rest in peace) and has survived till this day.

It is a misconception to say that Sen. Bukola Saraki inherited the structure in a narrow sense. As a matter of fact, he emerged as a leader of Kwara politics by virtue of his overwhelming acceptance by the people. So, he inherited the structure not as a son, but as any worthy successor would have. 

But recently, the former minister of sports, Isa Ibrahim Bio, said he could not follow Senator Bukola Saraki. Isn't that a blow to the structure?

Far from it! On the contrary, Isa Bio is a political lightweight in Kwara. All the offices he has held are on account of the Sarakis. So, Bio should come off his proverbial high horse. It is his loss if he chooses to now stop accepting the leadership of Bukola Saraki. He cannot make as much as a dent to the structure. He does not even command any popularity in his own local government, Baruten. To be sure, I'm sure you have noticed that not a single person from Baruten has spoken out in support of him.

So, why do you think he is now reacting this way? 

What the former minister has succeeded in doing is to show the world that he is disloyal. The purported basis of his discontent with Senator Bukola Saraki is wholly unfounded. His main gripe seems to be that Senator Bukola Saraki did not hand him in for the Governorship in 2011. He then narrated an account of the events leading up to the primaries. That account is nothing short of a tissue of concocted half-truths.

I can speak authoritatively on the matter because I was a governorship aspirant myself in the 2011 elections. At the time that we were still trying to paper the political cracks between Senator Saraki and his father, Bio was the first person to go and obtain Governorship form. Dr Saraki Senior (Oloye) was still in the PDP when Bio obtained the form. The rest of us obtained forms after Oloye had left PDP for ACPN. But he claims to have been an ardent follower of Oloye. That is duplicitous.

I was in Abuja sometime in late 2010 with Governor Bukola Saraki, as he then was, when Bio came to the Kwara Lodge to see him. At that time, he had gone ahead to obtain the Governorship form. He then informed the governor that he intended to contest for the position. He didn't come to ask for advice or permission or even endorsement. He simply came to notify the governor. As any reasonable person would have done, Governor Bukola Saraki simply acknowledged the notification. To suggest that Bukola Saraki asked him to obtain the form is disingenuous. For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Bukola Saraki, as he then was, never anointed any of the aspirants at the early stages.  Neither did he promise anyone the ticket. Ask the present Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed. Even he did not know he would be the candidate until the last minute. There were five of us from the same stable, namely myself, Bio, Senator Ahmed, Professor Oba AbdulRaheem and AbdulFatah Ahmed.

We all had a meeting where we agreed that Bukola Saraki should pick a candidate from among us. We agreed that once he picked anyone of us, the others would withdraw from the race and support the candidacy of that person. This agreement was in writing; I drafted it myself and we all signed it and it was delivered to Bukola Saraki. So, it is quite baffling that Bio is now suggesting that Senator Saraki had promised him the ticket. If he had such an assurance, why would he be part of such an agreement? 

 So, why do you consider him disloyal?

The fact that he now turns round to peddle falsehood against the very man, Bukola Saraki, who supported and nurtured him throughout the peak of his political career, is an act of gross disloyalty. Bio had been an Honourable Commissioner; then he became a member of the House of Representatives in 1999. In 2003, he became Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly. He was re-elected as Speaker in 2007. In December 2008, he became minister for transport and later minister for sports.

Firstly, this shows that he has been a prime beneficiary of top political positions through the Sarakis. Secondly, it shows that Bukola Saraki stood by him. If Bukola Saraki didn't want him returned as Speaker, he would not have made it. It was Bukola Saraki who nominated him to become minister and ensured that he got a Grade A ministry. When the cabinet was dissolved in March 2007, he was one of the very few, if not the only minister, who was returned to the Federal cabinet. I was aware, as Bio was, that another name had been submitted to President Jonathan from other quarters to replace Bio. But Bukola Saraki stood by him and persuaded the President to reappoint him in April 2010. You will recall that at that time, the directive of the President was for the governors to submit three names out of which he would choose one. But Bukola Saraki insisted that Bio was his sole nominee. Seemingly, Bio has conveniently forgotten this very recent history. How ungrateful man can be!

But the former minister is also saying that Senator Saraki abandoned him.

This is part of the ingratitude that Bio suffers from. Bio cannot deny that Senator Saraki offset the expenses he incurred at that period. Bukola Saraki never abandoned any of us. For example, Prof Oba AbdulRaheem was made the director-general of the Governorship Campaign Organisation after which Senator Saraki worked his return to the Federal Character Commission. I was given the ticket to become a member of the State

Assembly and emerged as Speaker. Even the person who was DG of my Governorship Campaign Organisation, Bolaji Abdullahi became minister for youth development and today, he is the best minister of sports this country has ever had - under him we've won the Africa Cup of Nations, Under 17 World Cup, and now we are the first African country to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

So, what do you think will happen with PDP in Kwara?

All is well in Kwara. The people of Kwara remain staunchly behind the leadership of Bukola Saraki. We believe in the cause he's fighting. He is simply agitating for inclusiveness and internal democracy in the party. A party must have regard for the yearnings of its members and articulate the views of the masses. This is what we practise here in Kwara. The leadership considers opinions from all quarters and every level. Bukola Saraki regularly meets everyone from ward level to district, to constituency, and to state levels. That is the inclusiveness that he's agitating for at the centre and we wholeheartedly support him.