Date: 2019-03-05

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Kwara State governorship election on Saturday, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, on Monday told the state government to stop victimising civil servants.

But the state government denied the allegation, saying no worker in the civil service was being victimised.

"We are aware that civil servants who did not agree to do the bidding of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party are being sacked or victimised," Abdulrazaq claimed in a statement by his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaiye, on Monday.

" "This is wrong, inhuman and unlawful." Abdulrazaq's statement follows hard on the heels of the sacking of a civil servant by the state government, while others are allegedly being threatened for not supporting the ruling PDP government during the February 23 polls.

Abdulrazaq added, "Any government, such as the one currently in Kwara State, with no regard for the social contract cannot expect the civil servants to remain silent in the face of tyranny."

The statement also claimed the state government had over the years politicised the civil service as the "discredited dynasty and patron to the government has a notorious history of coercing civil servants to support their candidates and suppress the wishes of the electorate".

Abdulrazaq said, "Once elected, we will look into the cases of all the civil servants who were victimised or sacked on account of refusing to compromise their professionalism or integrity. We will restore their rights and dignity as Kwarans.

"It is outrageously hypocritical for a government that is notorious for coercing and blackmailing civil servants to do its political bidding to turn around and accuse civil servants of getting involved in politics."

However, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communication, Dr Muyideen Akorede, said the Kwara State Traffic Maintenance Agency worker being referred to was not sacked.

He said, "The worker was queried and recalled, but he refused to resume work and he was paid his salary for January 2019 but up till now, he has not gone back to work.

"The government does not or will not victimise or wrongly discipline anyone on account of their political beliefs.