By Mumini AbdulKareem
The Magaji and Alangua Forum in Kwara State has written to the Senate President and national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki demanding for the next gubernatorial candidate to come from the senatorial district,ย National Pilotย has learnt.
Their letter, it was gathered, was routed through the ABS constituency office in Ilorin for onward delivery to the Senate President.
A press conference on the issue has reportedly been scheduled to hold today (Monday) by the affected district heads who cut across five local governments in the Emirate; Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Asa and Moro.
The development is coming on the heels of similar agitation from elders and stakeholders of Kwara North last week asking for the governorship seat to be zoned to the district.
The Kwara north leaders noted that their action was based on the principle of equity and fairness to balance the zoning arrangement and power rotation in the state.
A youth group from the region had last week threatened to boycott next yearโs election if their demand to produce the next governor was not met.
But a top source who spoke on the issue last night in confidence because he was not authorised to officially speak to the media said the action of the Magajis, Alanguas and Daudus was not borne out of selfishness or hatred for Kwara North but as a result of political exigency.
According to the source, Kwara central has over 60 per cent of the voting population in the state and it will be politically correct and right for the party to do the needful by picking its candidate from the district so as to comfortably deliver the state during the gubernatorial election next year.
He added that the forum might head to court to press home its demand and compel the leadership of the party over the issue.
Describing Kwara Northโs agitation as understandable, the source said the Saraki dynasty has not always made such political decision based on zoning but rather consensus entertaining inputs from every stakeholder.
โWhat the Magaji and Alanguas Forum have done is to officially write the Senate President and national leader of the party, Dr Bukola Saraki to consider very seriously in picking the governorship candidate of the PDP in next yearโs election from Kwara Central.
โThe membership of the forum exceeds well over 500 and cut across the five local governments of Ilorin Emirate.
โOur reason is not based on whether we donโt want our brothers in the Kwara North region to emerge as governor but because of the peculiar political exigency we found ourselves at this crucial period.
โThis is not about the issue of zoning but the voting population and we in the five local governments that formed the Emirate constitute over 60 per cent of the voting population in the state. Zoning has not always been the criteria for picking candidate but political exigency like the one we are having now.
โWe would appeal to our northern brothers to please wait for their turn in the light of the present circumstance and support whosoever that is picked at the end of the day from centralโ, the source added.
When contacted by this medium last night for comments, General Secretary of the forum and the Magaji Nda of llorin,ย Alhaji Solihu Woru Mohammed declined comment.
He added that he was in a meeting and would get back to our reporter. His response was still being awaited before this medium went to bed last night.
The issue of which senatorial district should produce the next governor in the state has been a hotly contested issue between Kwara North and Central in the state chapters of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the last count, over 15 aspirants from Kwara Central haves indicated interest to run for the ticket while aspirants from Kwara North have shown interest in the coveted seat.
