The six-week controversial extension, bonus' dates given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the general elections has become a blessing in disguise to party candidates, who hitherto kicked against election's postponement.

In Kwara State for instance, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who doubles as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is making maximum use of the six weeks shift.

When Ahmed became the state's executive governor on May 29, 2011, and going by the antecedent of the administration, he succeeded, not a few political watchers believed that Ahmad would work his heart out to sustain and consolidate the legacies of the immediate past administration and also initiate more developmental projects capable of adding more values to the socio economic and political growth of the state.

His continuity mission in Kwara has brought a lot of impacts to the development of the state since his assumption of office by ensuring that all the projects left behind by former governor Bukola Saraki were completed as part of efforts at developing the state.

The vocal governor who served in the immediate past administration as commissioner for Finance and later Economic Development had ensured that the projects left behind saw the light of the day while new ones were put on ground so as to bring new lease of life to the good people of Kwara State.

His ongoing campaign tour of the three Senatorial Districts, has given him the opportunity to showcase his laudable achievements in the areas of education, health, rural integration, youths and women empowerment roads development, workers development, agriculture and the provision of other social amenities. "Our administration has made governance meaningful by delivering its benefits to the people in this state," he was reported to have said at a rally.

His scorecard presented to an ecstatic crowd in his Kwara South District, Ahmed had this to say: "Under Shared Prosperity, our administration has implemented several life-transforming programmes such as the innovative Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES), under which the government has employed 5000 youths including 2000 civil servants. The expanded Empowerment Scheme, QuickWin, has seen the engagement of 5200 youths in the first phase with 8200 youths targeted for empowerment in 2014. So far, 10, 200 youths have been employed by the government in the last three years."

A further peep into the score sheet also revealed that, Governor Ahmed's administration has empowered 50,000 small business owners, 100 transporters and 47 artisan groups that have benefitted from the N1b in micro-credit disbursed under the Kwara Entrepreneurship Scheme since 2012. Even, the government has also empowered State Association of Marketers whose members are currently accessing another N100m in micro credit.

To underscore the importance attached by his administration to civil servants, Governor Ahmed facilitated N3b in car loans to civil servants, especially teachers. This in on top of the welfare packages such as training and retraining, and provision of affordable housing and office accommodation implemented by the state government.

In the education sector, groundbreaking educational reforms have been upscaled and infrastructure enhanced with construction and rehabilitation of 400 classrooms at primary and secondary school levels, and the introduction of free education at senior secondary school levels and supply of free notebooks to secondary school students.

The jewel in the education sector's crown, the International Vocational Centre, Ajasse-Ipo, is affiliated with City and Guilds of London and poised to fill middle level manpower gaps while establishing Kwara State as the hub for vocational skills in the sub-region.

In the health sector, government has supplied drugs and equipment to 13 general hospitals and 43 primary health centers as well as remodeled and modernized Ilorin, Offa, Omu-Aran, Share and Kaiama General Hospitals to state-of-the-art hospitals. The Community Health Insurance Scheme, under which enrollees receive year round healthcare for N500, has been extended to 80, 000 beneficiaries and has been adjudged as one of the most successful by the United Nations.

Towards meeting its target of ensuring connecting all communities in the state to the national electricity grid, Governor Ahmed's administration rural and urban electrification project has seen 400 communities connected to the national grid. Ilorin, the state capital, is especially more beautiful at night, thanks to urban street light project that has been extended to several major streets in the Ilorin metropolis.

In the road sector, the state government has implemented the highly applauded Operation No Potholes launched in 2011 to ensure all gullies in the state are repaired to ensure proper maintenance. Under the state’s urban and rural road project, majority of inherited roads have been completed while thirty eight road projects started by the administration are at various levels of completion.

These include 28 inherited 28 projects covering a length of 256.127kms. Eighty per cent of these, covering 204.8 kilometers have been complete. The remaining 17 are on-going across the state. Eight new asphalted roads completed while 30 are on-going, half of which will be completed soon. Forty one rural/feeder roads with a total length of 287km have been completed while 81km are on-going.

To achieve its target of ensuring access to clean water within 500-meter radius, the state government has rehabilitated 17 waterworks across the state, sunk about 400 boreholes, and is at the verge of completing the Ilorin Water Reticulation Project, which will pipe water to all homes in the metropolis.

However, it will be noted here that, this giant strides in the delivery of dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of the people of the state in the last three and half years have endeared him to all the places visited during the various rallies embarked upon by the leadership of the APC in the state led by Senator Bukola Saraki and supported by the DG of the Mandate 2015 campaign organisation and Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Razak Atunwa.

Others are the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Isola Balogun Fulani, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Senator Shaaba Lafiaji, all the nine members of the national assembly and other notable chieftains of APC in the state to woo voters for the party during the forthcoming polls in the state.

In a chat with our correspondent in Ilorin on the performances of the present administration in the state, the Director of Media of Mandate 2015, Hon. Abdulwahab Kayode Omotose said that, there was no doubt that the present government led by Governor Ahmed had excelled very well in the day to day running affairs of the state since he took over the mantle of leadership of the state on May 29, 2011.

According to him," the present administration had touched the lives of the people of the state and this had continued to be a great tonic to the expectation of electoral victory of APC during the forthcoming general elections."

He said, "I want to tell you that, all the places visited during the rallies of the Mandate 2015 campaign organization, the people trooped out in large numbers to show appreciation to the Governor Ahmed and leadership of APC in view of the successes recorded by the administration.

So, going by impacts his administration has made on his people, Ahmed appears to be coasting home to victory on the ticket of the APC on April 11, this year for his deserved second term in office.