By Abubakar Saadu
It is no more news that the Kwara PDP has zoned its gubernatorial ticket to Kwara North ahead of the 2023 general elections, a move that has given hope to the actualisation of the region’s long years of agitations and dream to produce governor of the state.
It is pertinent to reiterate that contrary to insinuations from some quarters particularly the Governor Abdulrazaq’s camp, the #KwaraNorth2023 agenda is a cause that is widely accepted and supported by a vast majority of leaders and youth from the region. It is definitely not a campaign that’s being championed by a few people as some want us to believe.
Since the announcement of the Kwara PDP’s decision to zone its governorship ticket to Kwara North, leaders including royal fathers and concerned youths within the area have been meeting and strategising on how to ensure that Kwara North does not only present a candidate but win the forthcoming governorship election.
This is definitely not the end of the campaign for the #KwaraNorth2023 agitation, but the beginning of many hurdles to be crossed as we head into the 2023 election circle.
Already, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and his team are obviously rattled and threatened by the decision of the opposition PDP to zone its guber ticket to the North, and are ready to do anything they can to scuttle Kwara North move to produce the next governor of the State in 2023.
AA has always been threatened by the prospect of Kwara North people agitation to produce governor in 2023. This was in the early days of his administration, Governor Abdulrazaq reportedly called Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Danladi Yakubu to a meeting where he promised the Baruten-born lawmaker that he would handover to him after completing two terms in 2027. It was the same way the Governor pledged to handover to the Senator representing Kwara North, Pharm. Umar Sidiq and the State Commissioner for Works, Rotimi Iliasu who are both from Kwara North respectively.
To the Governor, it was a smart move to douse clamour for Kwara North to produce Kwara number 1 in 2023. But it caused disaffection among his loyalists and APC members in the region who see such move as a divide and rule tactics.
As I noted earlier, the PDP’s decision to go North in 2023 has caused palpable fears within the camp of Governor AA and this has forced them to come up with plans to divide the North and halt the region’s ambition to produce governor in 2023. Report has it that the Governor has set up a group which members will be placed on a N50k monthly stipends and their task will be to embark on a door-to-door campaign in Kwara North communities to convince the people on why they must not support the #KwaraNorth2023 agenda and should allow him to do one more term before handling over in 2027.
The question now is: will the people of Kwara North jettison their agitation, abandon their own and queue behind Governor AA to be in office for another term? Why is the governor afraid of the north? Time will tell.
It should be noted that the Kwara Central PDP has all it takes to wrestle and get the party’s governorship ticket but had to concede it to the North in the interest of justice and equity. It is therefore disappointing to see some politicians from Kwara North including Speaker Yakubu Danladi going against the interest of the entire region to canvass support for GAA.
#KwaraNorth2023 agenda is a cause we must all not take with levity. For long, we have complained of marginalisation; it is now the time for us to get it right and actualise our age-long dream. There is no genuine reason or excuse for the people of Kwara North not to support their own to become the next Kwara State Governor in 2023. Afterall, the region is blessed with more capable, educationally rich and intellectually competent hands than the incumbent. Certainly, it’s our time. Let’s go North!
Abubakar Saadu writes from Lafiagi
