A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state, Dr Abdulmumin Yinka-Ajia, has cautioned the leadership of the ruling party in the state to address alleged displeasure among members of the party ahead of future elections in the state, especially the planned local government polls.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Ilorin over the weekend, Ajia described the present situation in the party as an uneasy calm, stating that the current APC administration should strive more to involve party members in matters that concern them, particularly their welfare.

“Make the lives of people better. Reward those who worked for the success of the party. When you make the lives of people better, you can begin to talk about who becomes the next APC governor,” he said.

Ajia, who was the governorship candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) in the 2019 Kwara state governorship election, defected to the ruling APC before the conduct of the 2019 polls.

“Here in Ilorin, we also have issues to deal with when it comes to the succession thing. Ilorin has produced a governor three times since the advent of democracy, and there are two other zones. We have the numbers. But just because you can do it doesn’t mean that you should do it or that it makes it right. We should be looking in the direction of Kwara North or Kwara South, more especially Kwara North.” The party chieftain also advised the leadership of the party to discourage the emergence of an incompetent candidate from any part of the state as the party’s flag bearer in the next general elections, saying that people may not support such a development.

“As progressives, if someone wants to impose an incompetent candidate on the party, it won’t work. I want the next governor to come from Kwara North because I believe in justice, ethics, morality, and fairness. Would I want the same thing done to me if I wasn’t born in Ilorin? Lots of party loyalists won’t support an incompetent candidate, even from Kwara North.

“So, as murmuring is going on in the party on who takes after Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, I want the governor to know that it’s not undemocratic for him to have an interest in who succeeds him. But he needs to carry everybody along. And whatever direction he’s looking at, he needs to find the best of the best from that direction. Some of us would not support anyone that doesn’t have credentials to do the job. We would not shy away from saying our mind. We would also take action to show our displeasure,” he said.

The party chieftain also advised the state government to expedite action on the conduct of local government elections in the state, saying that displeased party members could be assuaged with appointments, contracts, and other means from functional local government administration.

“A lot of this has to do with local government not working. If local government starts working, a lot of patronage can be done. There’s nothing illegitimate about patronizing people that helped you to succeed. You do it in a legal way. It happens even in developed countries.”

Ajia, who is also an associate professor of Business Administration at Lincoln University, Missouri, USA, described the fuel subsidy removal by the present Federal Government as an irrational decision and ill-advised.

He appealed to the government to cut the remuneration of political office holders in the country just as ordinary people experience the harrowing effects of the subsidy removal.

“We should not have a presidential fleet any longer nor state government private jets. The presidential fleet can be turned into Nigeria Air or should be sold off, and the money used to develop agriculture, healthcare, education, and other essential matters,” he said.