The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has threatened legal action and other democratic instruments against the Kwara State House of Assembly should it pass the Freedom of Information Bill sent to it by the governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
PDP at the Assembly’s public hearing to engage stakeholders for discussion on the executive bill, pointed out section 31(1)(2) that empowers the governor as the only authority to approve public access to official information.
Adewara warned that the bill, if passed, would place the governor in absolute control of public information.
The contentious section and subsections stipulate that no information shall be disclosed without the governor’s prior written consent, and that no public official would be held liable for failure to release information if delayed by the governor’s consent.
The party, while enjoining the lawmakers to expunge the section, promised to challenge what it described as illegality, including approaching the court “if this black-market clause is not removed.”
The PDP state’s Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, who led the party’s team to the hearing, informed that the sections rendered the proposed law draconian and a democratic threat.
“This is not just an attack on democracy; it is a calculated move to keep Kwarans in the dark,” Adewara said.
He, however, noted that the 31(1)(2) provisions would shield corruption, protect incompetence, and embolden impunity in the state, especially when written application and written approval of the executive must prevail before the release of such public information.
The PDP challenged the legislators on its popularity and acceptability thus: “This House must choose today: stand with the people or kneel before Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s.”
The PDP warned that retaining such a clause would render the bill meaningless and turn it into a “Governor’s Secrecy Law,” undermining transparency and accountability in governance.
“Our democracy thrives when institutions are stronger than individuals,” saying that the alleged insertion “is an attempt to weaken institutions and consolidate power in the hands of a single man.”
Consequently, the PDP vowed to mobilise all legal and democratic tools to challenge the bill if Section 31 is not removed.
“We shall mobilize every legal and democratic instrument at our disposal to challenge this illegality, including approaching the court if this black-market clause is not removed,” Adewara stated.
Calling on civil society, media, and all well-meaning citizens of the state to resist the bill in its current form, the PDP concluded with “the time to act is now, history is watching.”
Addressing the PDP team and other stakeholders, the chairperson of the hearing, Rukayat Shittu, appealed for calm with the assurance that the Assembly would always consider public interest in its deliberations and decisions.
