SOME eight months ago, probably, this was the most powerful and influential figure in the Kwara All Progressive Congress. His “pinfold” dwells all federal vigour and code – like a programmed software – to the headquaters of a central governing party. Apparently, he is the garrison commander that determines who gets what at both federal and state hierarchy.
Dare him at your own peril, Lai Muhammed a Nigerian lawyer, and former National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a native of Oro in Kwara State. He earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Obafemi Awolowo University before proceeding to obtain a Law degree from the University of Lagos. As a practicing Lawyer, Lai co-founded the legal firm of Edu & Mohammed as a Senior Partner in 1989. He was a gubernatorial candidate of the Alliance for Democracy in Kwara state in the April 2003 general elections.
He served as Tinubu’s Chief of Staff during his first term as governor of Lagos state and up till date one of the foot soldiers of the political lord of Nigeria’s most populous state. Little wonder multitude Kwarans were against his dominance hence he hands it over to his godfather.
Before Saraki’s unceremonious exit from the APC, Lai has cunningly – as though anticipating such move – planted his political protegees to faction the Saraki backed party executives in the state. This led to a lot of clashes that would later threatened the APC chance of emerging victorious at the poll. Immediately after Saraki announced his egress, the party headquaters didn’t wait a minute to announce a replacement in Bolarinwa led executives.
While this was ongoing, the party decided to move outside of the conventional indirect (delegate) to a direct (party member) primaries at all level. A number of states adopted the indirect, while others choosed to go with the direct. Which way will Kwara goes caused a mild panic in the mind of aspirants and their loyalists who nevertheless continue to put all machineries in place in case of any eventualities. When it was finally made known that Kwara goes the way of a direct primary, it was considered a big win for the popular apirants albeit, everyone went back to drawing table.
The Oba Abus were optimistic, the Modibos were passionate, the AbdulRahmans hope for the best, the Seriki couldn’t stop spending while the Salius were thinking, the Lukmans were strategizing the Moshoods were planning, The Hakeem couldn’t rely on history. When all aspirants were busy with this, Lai was somewhere in the Aso Villa soothing the sit of power on why either direct or indirect primary would not work in Kwara – ‘cos of the influence of Saraki who was then the PDP national leader, presidential aspirant, backbone of the biggest opposition party and the Aso Rock headache – but selection by few.
By the time anyone could realized, the man has returned from Abuja with enomous power. Then, in a twinkle of an eye, the palace of this eloquent spokeperson became a political ‘mecca’ of politicians and their hangers-on.
He bestrode the politics of Kwara APC like a colossus, with the covert support of the federal power. From there, he held sway as an oracle and dished out orders that were considered laws at that time in the party.
When the party in the end held her primaries, it was marred with lot of irregularities, a Lai Mohammed intervention eventually put an end to the drama and names were submitted to the national headquaters of the party even before the winners were officially announced to the enthusiastic people of the state whose thirst for the Òtògé revolution can’t even be quenched by drums of water.
With AbdulRahman – who was perhaps the most weakest of the aspirants – emergence, the deed has been done, the aggrieved members have to shield their sword and work for the success of the party which they all did, except a recalcitrant Oba Abu who waited till the eleventh hours before capitulating. Mayhaps, this brightened the chance of a victorious APC.
Consequently, after the election, one would expect Lai to continue rocking the political space of the state and sit at his Oro home chairing deliberations on appointments, but this seems only to be a fairy tale in the imagination of any thinker as the former lord is even having a hard time at securing a return to the Buhari’s cabinet – what with less absolute supporting sinew should be a walk-over for him.
At the current rate, the ex-minister is in danger of totally losing his hold on the state and turning into a ceremonial figurehead with no influence as he has lost total grip of power. He was said to have been ignored with the waving of hands when deliberations for appointment are on, this undoubtedly wrote the name of the governor in gold on the mind of those that will not sit and see Kwara slip to another hagemony after about 40 years of Saraki’s reign.
Nonetheless, this man must be commended for spearheading among others the revolution that procreate a new Kwara. He must be acclaimed for not allowing Saraki and his appendage hijack the party structure. His role in never ensuring the Saraki’s mole, if there is any, had their way(s) in the APC. A big kudos to an outstanding Buhari’s ex-minister!
Notwitstanding, has this answered the question of where this man – whom notable Kwara politicians hanged their political destinies with about eight months ago – is. At this crucial time when the business of governance is about to start, the big question still remains, WHERE IS LAI MOHAMMED?