SAKA ABDULGANEEY MANJO, A MEMBER OF THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN KWARA STATE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS ANALYST, BARES HIS MIND ON THE STATE OF HIS PARTY, EXPECTATIONS FROM THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS AND THE CHANCES OF PDP CANDIDATES.
Q: HOW WILL YOU DESCRIBE THE 2023 ELECTIONS IN KWARA STATE?
A lot of people have predicted violence and all but from where I stand, I can assure you that it will be one of the most peaceful elections ever. It is going to be a ballot revolution. So there is no need for guns and machetes. Our people are wiser now and the APC deception is cleared off their eyes. From the national level down to the grassroots. Kwara, of course, is not going to be an exception. The people in Kwara state are yearning for real change and that is why the Peoples Democratic Party has offered a solution-based manifesto programme to address the salient concerns. The coming general election in 2023 will be a very remarkable one.
Q: BY SOLUTION-BASED, YOU MEAN?
Is Kwara as safe as it used to be under the PDP? We both know the answer. Talk about the state of infrastructure, a lot of uncompleted projects littered across the state. The few ones we see are substandard. What the present government is doing is to warm itself into the heart of people with faux empowerment initiatives and schemes. They have been found out. All of these challenges, I can tell you categorically, that we have a workable plan to address them.
Q: YOU APPEAR CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN THE GOVERNORSHIP, IS IT THE SAME WITH THE SENATORIAL CONTEST?
Let me make this very clear. The voting pattern will be unique and away from the past. This is because eligible voters, as much as they will gravitate towards the party with programmes, will slightly sway allegiance to candidates. They will consider the strength of the candidates' character, popularity and other factors.
Q:CAN YOU GIVE US AN INSTANCE?
A typical interest in such uniqueness and rare voting pattern will see to the defeat of the unpopular governor Abdulrahman and a very close election between a less popular candidate in person of Bolaji Abdullahi from a popular party (PDP) and a more popular candidate in person of Mallam Saliu Mustapha of a less popular party (APC). The same thing may repeat itself in Ilorin East and South Federal Constituency while Ilorin West and Asa is too close to call.
This is why we PDP members in Kwara State demanded the election of candidates who are popular, competent, committed and loyal.
Q: ARE YOU SAYING BOLAJI ABDULLAHI LACKS THESE QUALITIES?
As a strong member of the PDP and a Sarakite, I cannot shy away from the reality. I am dismayed seeing how Bolaji Abdullahi's candidacy is weakening day by day. This, in my personal review, is because of his cunning attitude and reluctance to maintain reasonable balance within the party he claims to be even right from his political ward.
This is not new to the public on how the Ubandawaki ward are rejecting him because of the character they know well in him as one whose urge to seek for elective office is strictly based on ego, self-interest, enrichment and guilt tripping.
For an individual like Mallam Bolaji who the Almighty Allah brought to stardom through an unmerited means going by his unending attack of the Saraki dynasty at his prime, you will agree that he should have done so much more that he won’t need to struggle to grapple answers about his impacts in different capacity to which Allah has bestowed upon him.
In fact, there shouldn’t be a need to have a debate about Bolaji’s impact talk less of becoming a question to which he struggles to answer, I mean Mallam Bolaji was an S.A, a very powerful one at that, he was a commissioner, also a super powerful one at that then he became a minister, also a super duper powerful one then latter served as a party executive of a rulling party hence I make bold that I am right to say debating about Mallam Bolaji’s impact should have been an abomination if he had been anything close to being wonderful because in this society, we have several individuals who had never served in any capacity close to Bolaji but no one dares question their usefulness not to talk of having to query them to show their impact.
As at today, we mustn't lie to ourselves to know that candidate who has never been an S.A, neither was he a commissioner and clearly was never a minister but has his impact touching almost every nooks and corners of Kwara state hence I ask Mallam Bolaji what he used his opportunities for, self enrichment?!
Shall we also talk about the remaining self-centered ones around Bolaji right from his family members? A senatorial candidate of the PDP whose biological sister is also the PDP women leader in the state, both of those biological brother, Muhammad Abdullahi, is on the campaign council of the APC and has been opposed to all reasons and plea to drop the position? So, if your own brother does not believe in your ambition, who else should? And what moral right do you have to demand loyalty and support from the average members of the party? If Bolaji Abdullahi was a good man is it from his home front we would know.
*HMMM*
Yes! Shall we also talk about Mallam Bolaji’s actions and inactions that contributed to the partial fall of the Saraki dynasty in the last election? He, his sister and a close circle of self-centered cabals were responsible for the fall of the PDP in 2019 simply because they were not given ticket. Where's Rasaq Atunwa today? Is he not supposed to be leading this campaign for Bolaji Abdullahi? Where is Dr. Abubakar Kannike, Alhaja Sarat Adebayo, Alhaji Olanrewaju Babareke and so many others including Bolaji Abdullahi's former Political Adviser from Commissioner to Ministerial days, Alhaji Abdullahi Zarumi who is a member of PDP presently championing Turaki's senatorial campaign in Oju-Ekun Zarumi and other neighboring wards? All of these people, if you gave a choice in confidence between Bolaji Abdullahi and his opponent in the APC, Saliu Mustapha, they would all pick Saliu Mustapha! It is that bad!
Q:YOU CLAIMED THE PDP CANDIDATE DOESN'T HAVE ANY ACHIEVEMENT TO HIS NAME, WHAT ABOUT THE REFORMS THAT HE CHAMPIONED AS EDUCATION COMMISSIONER?
I will like to x-ray what Mallam Bolaji has paraded so far as his achievement mostly being his service as a commissioner at the ministry of Education in Kwara state and I must say that he should be ashamed for trying to steal the glory of his boss, the then Governor of Kwara state, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki who appointed Bolaji with the responsibility to help his government achieve his well thought out design of a good educational system for the people of Kwara state.
It is laughable of Mallam Bolaji to make personal claims to any remarkable achievement recorded during his time as a commissioner because it is a collective effort and he served at the mercy of a governor so the credit of those achievements are not for any single person and if it must go to a single person, then I will re-honour Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki for a job well done after several award of excellence which he must have recorded.
The only reason this understanding of mine can be faulted is if Bolaji employed himself as the commissioner but in the advent of being correct, It will only be fair of Mallam Bolaji to join a discussion of achievements or impact by showing us what he did as a normal citizen with no office or power if he wants the society to measure him in retrospect just like the society is measuring other individuals like Mallam Saliu Mustapha, the Turaki of Ilorin but for Mallam Bolaji to think anyone will entertain any big talk without meaningful impact in people's lives will mean he thinks Ilorin people are not wise.
Q: DO YOU MEAN THE SARAKI FACTOR WILL NOT AID BOLAJI ABDULLAHI'S CANDIDACY SINCE HE IS A MEMBER OF THE FOLD?
For the record, the narration that Bolaji's victory at the polls has anything to do with Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, is just laughable. I am a sarakite and no Sarakite is more Sarakite than another Sarakite. Interestingly, my leader is not on any ballot and his leadership is not party based, so we shall deliver a Kwara mandate for our party in which Kwarans are well pleased in but Bolaji Abdullahi will rather bear his name.
Q: BUT YOU AS A PDP MEMBER, WHO WOULD YOU VOTE FOR BETWEEN THE TWO SENATORIAL CANDIDATES?
Your guess is as good as mine! But if you cannot guess right from all the above I've said, then I am sorry, I can't help.
Q: HOW WILL YOU DESCRIBE THE 2023 ELECTIONS IN KWARA STATE?
A lot of people have predicted violence and all but from where I stand, I can assure you that it will be one of the most peaceful elections ever. It is going to be a ballot revolution. So there is no need for guns and machetes. Our people are wiser now and the APC deception is cleared off their eyes. From the national level down to the grassroots. Kwara, of course, is not going to be an exception. The people in Kwara state are yearning for real change and that is why the Peoples Democratic Party has offered a solution-based manifesto programme to address the salient concerns. The coming general election in 2023 will be a very remarkable one.
Q: BY SOLUTION-BASED, YOU MEAN?
Is Kwara as safe as it used to be under the PDP? We both know the answer. Talk about the state of infrastructure, a lot of uncompleted projects littered across the state. The few ones we see are substandard. What the present government is doing is to warm itself into the heart of people with faux empowerment initiatives and schemes. They have been found out. All of these challenges, I can tell you categorically, that we have a workable plan to address them.
Q: YOU APPEAR CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN THE GOVERNORSHIP, IS IT THE SAME WITH THE SENATORIAL CONTEST?
Let me make this very clear. The voting pattern will be unique and away from the past. This is because eligible voters, as much as they will gravitate towards the party with programmes, will slightly sway allegiance to candidates. They will consider the strength of the candidates' character, popularity and other factors.
Q: CAN YOU GIVE US AN INSTANCE?
A typical interest in such uniqueness and rare voting pattern will see to the defeat of the unpopular governor Abdulrahman and a very close election between a less popular candidate in person of Bolaji Abdullahi from a popular party (PDP) and a more popular candidate in person of Mallam Saliu Mustapha of a less popular party (APC). The same thing may repeat itself in Ilorin East and South Federal Constituency while Ilorin West and Asa is too close to call.
This is why we PDP members in Kwara State demanded the election of candidates who are popular, competent, committed and loyal.
Q: ARE YOU SAYING BOLAJI ABDULLAHI LACKS THESE QUALITIES?
As a strong member of the PDP and a Sarakite, I cannot shy away from the reality. I am dismayed seeing how Bolaji Abdullahi's candidacy is weakening day by day. This, in my personal review, is because of his cunning attitude and reluctance to maintain reasonable balance within the party he claims to be even right from his political ward.
This is not new to the public on how the Ubandawaki ward are rejecting him because of the character they know well in him as one whose urge to seek for elective office is strictly based on ego, self-interest, enrichment and guilt tripping.
For an individual like Mallam Bolaji who the Almighty Allah brought to stardom through an unmerited means going by his unending attack of the Saraki dynasty at his prime, you will agree that he should have done so much more that he won’t need to struggle to grapple answers about his impacts in different capacity to which Allah has bestowed upon him.
In fact, there shouldn’t be a need to have a debate about Bolaji’s impact talk less of becoming a question to which he struggles to answer, I mean Mallam Bolaji was an S.A, a very powerful one at that, he was a commissioner, also a super powerful one at that then he became a minister, also a super duper powerful one then latter served as a party executive of a rulling party hence I make bold that I am right to say debating about Mallam Bolaji’s impact should have been an abomination if he had been anything close to being wonderful because in this society, we have several individuals who had never served in any capacity close to Bolaji but no one dares question their usefulness not to talk of having to query them to show their impact.
As at today, we mustn't lie to ourselves to know that candidate who has never been an S.A, neither was he a commissioner and clearly was never a minister but has his impact touching almost every nooks and corners of Kwara state hence I ask Mallam Bolaji what he used his opportunities for, self enrichment?!
Shall we also talk about the remaining self-centered ones around Bolaji right from his family members? A senatorial candidate of the PDP whose biological sister is also the PDP women leader in the state, both of those biological brother, Muhammad Abdullahi, is on the campaign council of the APC and has been opposed to all reasons and plea to drop the position? So, if your own brother does not believe in your ambition, who else should? And what moral right do you have to demand loyalty and support from the average members of the party? If Bolaji Abdullahi was a good man is it from his home front we would know.
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