By Hammed Shittu
About 10 governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara North senatorial district of Kwara state at the weekend said that they had been working together as a team to ensure that they return the party to power in 2023.
They also said that, any one of them that emerged as the candidate of the party would be jointly supported so as to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led government in the state.
The former minister of Transportation during the government of the former president Goodluck Jonathan and governorship aspirant of the PDP in the state, Rt. Hon Issa Bio made the remarks in Ilorin while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of “Thank You” event organised by the Kwara North Consultative Forum, championing the northern governorship candidate to thank the leadership of the PDP for zoning the governorship ticket to the northern part of the state in the next elections.
According to him, “Our mission is to rescue Kwara State from the ruling APC and we are working round the clock to speak as a united front without confrontations but through the ballot”.
Bio who spoke on behalf of other governorship aspirants at the occasion stated that, “there will be no division among the aspirants as we are more united to provide qualitative and purposeful leadership that would transform the state into a greater economic and political prosperity in the state”.
The former Speaker of the state House of Assembly opined that, there was no cause for alarm as all the aspirants were capable of leading the state, adding that whoever among the aspirants emerges would be fully supported for the election.
Bio said that, “the decision of the PDP leadership to zone the governorship ticket to Kwara North Senatorial District is a great welcome one”, adding that, “it will correct the imbalances in the governance of the state”.
He opined that, ” Kwara state belongs to all of us and it is worrisome that the people of the Kwara North senatorial district of the state have been marginalised from the governance of the state for 30 years now.
“The PDP leadership’s decision to take the governorship slot to the North come 2023 is meant to ensure equity, fairness and justice in the scheme of things in the state in the next elections.
“Our people are so happy and they are ready to use their voters cards to express the decision during the elections so as to move the state forward.
“We have been mobilising and educating them on this decision because they have realised the need to join the train come 2023 in order to add value to the area and the entire state in general.
‘We have intellectuals and well educated personalities among the people of Kwara North that can use their exposures in their various callings to turn around the state for economic development”.
Bio noted that, “The zone would provide massive votes across the five local government councils of Baruten, Kaima, Patigi, Moro and Edu that make up the Kwara North senatorial district during the elections and this will be demonstrated to the people of the state during the elections”.
He therefore called on other political parties to emulate the PDP by zoning their governorship tickets to the zone, saying that,”any political party that fails to do this in the next elections would be rejected by the people of the zone”.
