The Kwara State government and opposition groups, yesterday, traded words over claims that the government sponsored a large delegation of its functionaries to Lagos State in solidarity with the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Dr. Bukola Saraki who was billed to appear before the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU).

The state's chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and members of the Kwara Freedom Network (KFN) at different fora  criticised the alleged large presence of government functionaries at the  SFU investigation.

But in a swift reaction, the state's chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cautioned the ACN and the general public against being misled by the orchestrated media campaign of calumny against the person of Senator Saraki over  the alleged loan scam involving some companies where the former governor allegedly had shares.

A statement signed by the PDP's publicity secretary, Alh. Mas'ud Adebimpe pointed out that, "it's on record that, as a governor in Kwara State, he (Saraki) was not at any time found wanting in the discharge of his constitutional duties or found to have used the office to enrich himself despite various fallacious allegations and propaganda by the so called opposition".

Also, the State government as well as the media aide of the senator , Mr. Akintoba Fatigun debunked the claims of the opposition and accused the KFN leader of blackmail.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba described the allegation that the activities of government were paralysed as blatant falsehood and deliberate misrepresentation of facts while Saraki's media aide, Akintoba Fatigun, said his boss would not be perturbed by persistent petitions from Oyedepo and his group which had always failed.

Fatigun added, "Senator Saraki is a law abiding citizen, Oyedepo and his co-travellers will be sending petitions and all the time it ends up in the dustbin of the agency he sent it to for lack of merit, substance and because those agencies discovered that it's concocted lies".

"So whatever he will send will end the same way as the others. He should disengage from subtle blackmail. If he needs help he should approach the distinguished senator for assistance instead of employing blackmail by threatening to send petition."

The KFN leader, Iyiola Oyedepo, while addressing newsmen in Ilorin expressed support for the investigation of Saraki by the police. He said, "we were told that about 200 vehicles from Kwara were mobilised to the SFU, so we might as well be seeing another drama here. We are not comfortable that the business of government is suffering; it is a very sad thing. If an ex-governor's case paralyses activities here it is sad. All the commissioners and other top functionaries are out there and nothing is happening at home. Why should that be when he is not the governor?"

The ACN in a statement signed by its chairman, Mr Kayode Olawepo, said, "we denounce in the strongest terms the public show of shame, impunity and the lack of decorum by the PDP-led Kwara State Government which on Monday deployed around 200 government vehicles to Lagos to show solidarity with former Governor Bukola Saraki who is being investigated by the police authorities for his alleged role in an N11b loan scam".