By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
As the race for the 2023 elections draws nearer, leading political forces and stakeholders of Kwara State over the weekend met in Abuja to strategise ahead of next year’s elections in the state.
The development according to THISDAY checks might not be unconnected with the move to defeat the ruling APC led government and the incumbent govenor of the state, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the next year’s elections in the state.
The meeting, it was gathered, was held on the sidelines of the official commissioning of the Taju Audu & Co., a member firm of the TGS Global Network in Nigeria tagged
“TAC House”, Abuja.
The company has remained a dynamic accountancy network specializing in the provision of Accounting, Audit, Tax and Commercial legal services.
The meeting, according to sources, was attended by the three governorship candidates of the opposition political parties in the state.
The governorship candidates according to the sources at the meeting include Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Hakeem Lawal, the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abdullahi Shuaibu Yaman, and New Nigerian Peoples Party, Professor Shuaib Oba AbdulRaheem.
Other politicians at the meeting were, Hon. Aliyu Ahman, Director General of Kwara SDP Campaign Organization, Mr. Kale Belgore, Alhaji Adamu Manko, Kwara North SDP Senatorial candidate; Ndamusa Guyegi, SDP Patigi, Moro, Edu House of Reps candidate and Tsado, SDP Kwara North Senatorial Chairman.
Sources said they deliberated extensively on the political reality of the state and vowed not to allow the issues that befell the 2019 hopes to repeat itself again in 2023 .
Sources added that, the groups had also agreed to work in unison towards bringing back lost hopes of the 2019 aspirations in 2023.
It was further gathered that, before the 2019 elections, all these forces, except PDP’s Yarman were in the All Progressive Congress, the “vehicle that took incumbent Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to the Kwara Government House.
The victory dance however did not last as signs of strains in the party and the government began to manifest and all attempts to paper the cracks were unsuccessful until the ruling party fell apart and the center could no longer hold in the state.
The aggrieved members led by erstwhile APC state chairman, Alhaji Bashir Bolarinwa, deserted the ruling party leaving the remaining members of the party to be led by Prince Sunday Fagbemi.
THISDAY investigations further revealed that, these aggrieved stalwarts who are under the banner of the APC, SDP, YPP and the NNPP were considering the possibility of toeing the line of collaboration to uproot a common foe in the interest of the people of the state.
Sources close to the meeting in Abuja noted that the spirit of 2019 was definitely hovering over the state again and the incumbent Governor Abdulrazaq, the prime beneficiary of the struggle, might become the casualty in 2023.
The Kwara Central and Kwara South, which was the stronghold of the APC had been badly divided by bigwigs who had left the fold of the party, according to THISDAY investigations.
For instance, Alhaji Ganiyu Cook Olododo, the SDP House of Reps member in Ilorin left. Hon. Olododo won the ticket on the platform of APC in 2019. Today, he is seeking a return mandate on the ticket of the SDP.
The senatorial candidate in the zone, Dr. Ridwan Apaokagi is also seen as a powerful grassroots politician battle ready to confront Saliu Mustapha of the APC.
Professor Wale Suleiman, will also seek the Kwara South senatorial mandate during the next elections under the SDP and will do battle with Senator Lola Ashiru, the APC candidate who has been accused of hawking a below the par performance.
It would be recalled that,, prior to the 2019 elections, an array of opposition elements under the aegis of O toge forces came together to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) then led by the former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki
During the period, all the legislative seats at both the state and national levels were won by the APC. The party also crowned it with governorship seat that was won by the incumbent, Governor AbdulRazaq.
The amalgamation of the affected forces of oppositions under the banner of O To Ge movement (enough is enough) was shortlived and now fragmented into various political parties ahead of the next elections in the state.
