In Kwara State's next governorship race, former Senate President Bukola Saraki is certain that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will easily defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is now in power.
On what he characterised as the terrible performance of the current Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq led administration in the previous three years, Senator Saraki grounded his hope.
When he met with a large group of APC defectors at the weekend in Ilorin, the state capital, led by one Kayode Ogunlowo, a supporter of Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed, Saraki, a former governor of the state as well, said this.
The 2019 otoge campaign, according to Saraki, was propaganda and tissues of lies meant to trick Kwarans "and send us packing."
“But Kwarans have learnt their lessons in a bitter way now. I am confident that PDP will send APC away from the Government House in 2023 by the grace of God.
“The love of Kwara informed your defection today to the PDP and we will all work together for the betterment of the state.
PDP Chairman, Babatunde Mohammed aligned with his leader.
Mohammed, a former speaker of the state House of Assembly said that “by the grace of God PDP is coming back stronger in 2023. We are going to win the president seat, all the National Assembly seats in the state and all the 24 seats at the state House of Assembly.”
He assured the defectors of a level playing ground in all the party’s activities in the state.
“Residents of the state both indigenes and non indigenes are now regretting that they mistakingly voted for the current government in 2019,” he added.
Adducing reasons for their defection to PDP, Ogunlowo said that the APC he alongside others laboured hard to enthrone in 2019 has been victimising them.
Said he: “The APC we worked hard for in 2019 has not been able to reciprocate our good gesture. Instead, the party led by Governor AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq decided to vitimise use. The governor decided to haul abuses on us. He decided to charge to court and detained us in prison custody.”
“As I am talking to you majority of our members were disenfranchised during the voters registration and revalidation exercise.
“That is why we decided to leave APC for PDP. The Egypt of yesterday is better than Sudan of today. The current government has no concrete achievements to point to. Instead, it keeps up piling up debts without commensurate physical development.
“Thank God it is not too late. This is the time to join hands together and push out Governor Abdulrazaq from the Government House in 2023. Today we are burning the brooms that symbolise poverty, insecurity and maladministration.”