Orisun Igbomina attributes Kwara APC polls’ success to Abdulrazaq’s performance
Emmanuel kehinde,Ilorin
Igbomina indigenes in Kwara state, under the aegis of the Orisun Igbomina, have attributed success of the presidential and National Assembly elections in the state to
outstanding performance of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in the 16 local government areas of the state.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Ilorin on Thursday, president of the social cultural organization, Chief Gbenga Awoyale, said that development programmes of the present administration across the 193 wards of the state had made it difficult for opposition political parties to have their ways against the governor.
The community leader and the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain expressed the hope that Governor Abdulrazaq would win the March 18 governorship elections, saying that the governor’s performance would make people choose him over any other candidate, “just like he delivered Kwara state 100% to APC in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
“How to know that it was Abdulrazaq’s factor that favoured APC in the presidential and NASS election is that, even though some of our federal lawmakers, especially from Kwara South didn’t perform up to expectations during their first tenure; although they promised to do better during re-election campaigns, they all rode on the performance of the governor to win their re-election bid. They’re the reason the governor had to work so hard for presidential election”.
Awoyale, who said that some members of the opposition political parties could not go to their wards to campaign against the governor, added that the same people are enjoying infrastructures and developmental strides being provided by the present administration in the state.
“There is no ward Governor Abdulrazaq didn’t touch. How will you campaign to someone who doesn’t enjoy good road for decades but Abdulrazaq gave them good roads? Or those without water and good schools for their children who are now enjoying these courtesy of AbdulRazaq’s government?
“People like the APC stalwarts, who are not on same page with the governor cannot go to Oro or Agbeku to campaign against him, because he renovated hospitals and built roads in their communities. Or you expect the people of Osi in Ekiti local government where road construction and completion of KWASU campus are ongoing or Oro – Esie-Ijan – Rore – Ipetu in Irepodun LG whom the governor promised construction of the longest road in the local government, covering no fewer than five political wards not to vote APC?
“Although, some people claimed Tinubu’s factor accounted for the APC victory in Kwara state, however, we saw states where Asiwaju won and other parties won NASS elections. Why is same not replicated in Kwara state?”.
Speaking on possible merger between opposition parties to unseat Abdulrazaq, Awoyale said that, “Alignment between oppositions in Kwara cannot work. Hakeem Lawal of SDP is my friend, he is principled and won’t merge with a party like PDP that allegedly misruled Kwara state for over a decade. The same people in PDP are same people who plotted same thing they are plotting against Governor Abdulrazaq, against his (Hakeem’s) father some 20years ago. So, some of us know they can’t align.
“How do you think Hakeem will support the same people who abandoned his father’s legacy and even destroyed some of the projects by his father, late former Governor Mohammed Lawal of blessed memory? Today, Governor Abdulrazaq is the one completing all projects Governor Lawal left uncompleted”.
Awoyale asserted that oppositions in Kwara state already know their agenda to set Kwara on the path of retrogression has met a brick wall and that is why you see a lot of them decamping to APC, ahead of the governorship elections.
“The PDP tried cajoling Kwara North by fielding one of them but the people saw through the gimmicks of their leader who refused to zone guber to their district while he held sway in the State. That is why you see them vote en mass for Governor Abdulrazaq who has brought unprecedented development to the area. They can’t fall for the gimmicks, Abdulrazaq will handover to Kwara North after completion of his two term, then Kwara South can then takeover. That’s how we can sustain effective power rotation in Kwara state”.
He also gave insight on why the Social Democratic Party (SDP) failed in Kwara South Senatorial District, attributing it to internal wrangling and the funny political style of Professor Wale Suleiman who was the candidate of the party in Kwara South.
“For example in Kwara South, SDP failed majorly because of internal wrangling as a result of cunning political attitude of their candidate. Also, our people wants someone who stays with them, who they know and knows them.
“The SDP candidate shot himself on the leg. He was busy trying to buyout opposing party members with money, cars and motorcycles, whereas they were deceiving him. Meanwhile his party members felt abandoned and were aggrieved he was busy spending heavily on opposition figures to support his personal ambition. He did this in my ward and I told APC members to take his money. They never voted for him”.
End.
