The political scenario of Kwara State is getting intriguing as new forces seem poised at wrestling the status quo writes SUCCESS NWOGU

The battle for the sustenance or capture of the Ahmadu Bello Road, Ilorin Government House of Kwara State is assuming an interesting but intriguing dimension.

The late “strongman” of Kwara politics, Dr. Olusola Saraki, had maintained a more than four-decade political dominance over the state which was created on May 27, 1967 by the General Yakubu Gowon administration.

During his reign, Saraki, who was fondly called Oloye, dictated who took what and who got what throughout all the strata of the state and beyond. His tremendous aura and powers hung over the state and its residents. It was he who called the shots for them from the ward level through the Federal Government.

Saraki, the Senate Leader of the Second Republic, also played a prominent role in installing monarchs in the state.

Towards the twilight of his days, Saraki bequeathed Kwara to his son, Bukola, who was a trained medical doctor like his father. He was installed governor by Oloye in 2003. Oloye who remained an enigma in the state till his death also ensured Bukola’s peaceful governance of the state for eight years. But, towards the end of his second and last term in office, he fell out with his father. The younger Saraki differed with his father on the choice of his successor.

While Saraki had wanted his daughter, a former member of the House of Representatives and Senator, Gbemisola, to succeed his son in 2011, the then Governor Saraki rather preferred his long-time friend and political subordinate, Mr. Abdulfatah Ahmed from Share, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.

Though the younger Saraki had his way after a bitter political war, he and his political lieutenants realised that without the elder Saraki’s forgiveness and blessings, their political journey might end in misadventure.

They jetted many times as penitent children to the United Kingdom where the elder Saraki was cooling off after he and his party, the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, suffered defeat from his son who was then of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Saraki, though reluctantly, blessed Bukola and Ahmed. On their part, both governorship successors enamoured, revered and pampered Saraki until his death at the age of 79 on Wednesday November 14, 2012 in Lagos after a brief illness.

Against permutations of some political pundits in the state, Ahmed made history to become the only person so far, other than Bukola, Saraki’s son, to have the opportunity of vying for second term as governor of the state.

Though the younger Saraki, now a senator like his late father, and his political lieutenants had endorsed Ahmed for his acclaimed good governance of the state from 2011 to date, many watchers of the emerging Kwara political trend opine that Ahmed’s second term endorsement was a survival strategy by Senator Saraki who is having a running battle with President Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP-led Federal Government.

Political pundits say Saraki, who had led many former members of the PDP to the All Progressives Congress, endorsed Ahmed to avoid fighting two battles: contesting against the Jonathan-led PDP and their candidates in the state; and losing Ahmed, who though had remained very loyal to him, could be grabbed by another party, if he did not get the second-term ticket from the Bukola Saraki-led APC.

Thus, an excited Ahmed during his second-term declaration rally paid glowing tributes to the Saraki dynasty, which he urged Kwara residents to keep an abiding faith in so that they could grow to their admirable levels within the dynasty.

Ahmed said, “Let me also thank APC stakeholders, including our leader, distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki for their support. I remain appreciative of your unequivocal endorsement for a second term and your faith in my capacity to get the work done.

“I reaffirm my belief in our political structure. A structure that has given hope to the hopeless; that has made governance inclusive in Kwara State. This structure gives hope that you can be anything you want subject only to the limit of your abilities.

“It is only this structure that could have enabled Abdulfatah Ahmed, the son of a middle-level policeman, to become governor. Thus, whether you are the son of a carpenter, tailor, farmer, taxi driver, or trader, you too can be governor.”

He added, “You too can be president. You too can be a minister. You too can be a senator. You too can aspire to the House of Representatives.

“Tell those who offer you false freedom, those who are bitter that we have democratised access to political power regardless of social background, that you already have freedom to dream, to aspire and to achieve through this structure.”

While Saraki who wants to return as the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District and who is reported to have withdrawn his 2015 presidential ambition to possibly become Senate President; and Ahmed, with their political soldiers, are strategising to maintain their political dominance in the state, the now opposing PDP and the now revitalised Labour Party members are also scheming to seize political power and governance in the state.

Buoyed by the confidence of the outburst of President Jonathan and other stalwarts of   the PDP-led Federal Government to recapture power from the APC in the state and the believed yearning of some of the residents of the state that governance should shift from the Saraki dynasty, the Kwara PDP led by the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Suleiman Abubakar, and the its state chairman, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, became energised in the quest to wrest power.

But the litmus test for the PDP came during the primaries for its governorship candidate.

Thirteen people had indicated their aspirations to be the arrowhead of the PDP to conquer Saraki, Ahmed and their followers.

The 13 aspirants included Gbemisola, the only lady;   a three-term senator, Mr. Simeon Ajibola; a former Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Dr. Oba Abdulraheem;   a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the 2011 governorship candidate of the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Dele Belgore; a former Senior Adviser to Jonathan on National Assembly Matters, Senator Suleiman Ajadi; the Chairman of Lubcon, Mr. Jani Ibrahim; and a former presidential candidate of the National Transformation Party, Mr. John Dara.

Other aspirants include the son of a former Governor of the State, Mr. Hakeem Lawal; Mr. Sunday Babalola; a former Commissioner under Saraki, Mr. Kale Belgore; another former commissioner under Saraki, Mr. John Duntoye; an oil magnate, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq;   a former Minister, Mr. Bio Ibrahim; and Mr. Abdullahi Sanusi.

At the countdown of the scheming and campaigns for the primary, Duntoye withdrew to contest for the state House of Assembly while Abdulrasaq opted to contest for the Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Many watchers of Kwara politics are wont to remember the PDP governorship primary for its many intrigues. It pitted other contestants against Belgore, who many believe is a formidable politician and a masses-man expected to dislodge the Saraki dynasty.

He also had the support of the Minister of National Planning, Abubakar; and a PDP stalwart, Mrs. Bola Shagaya, who is not only reputed to be wealthy but also believed to be close to the Presidency.

They were reported to have swayed Jonathan’s support for Belgore until other factors played up and Ajibola emerged the winner of the rescheduled primary.

Though serious manoeuvres were made to replace Ajibola with Belgore, the senator triumphed and remained the PDP governorship candidate.

Ajibola is believed to be a silent but formidable grass-roots politician who had not lost any election, having even defeated the late Saraki’s candidate. Though not an orator and may be underrated by people who do not seem to be attuned to his style of politics, Ajibola appears to be keeping former Governor Saraki, Governor Ahmed and their supporters in suspense, as they seem unable to predict his strategies and actions.

Ajibola said consultation and inclusive governance where the will of the people would be the way of government would be the fulcrum of his administration if he becomes the governor.

He added that improved welfare for the civil servants, social security for aged people, infrastructural provision and human capital development would anchor his agenda for the state.

Though Kwara PDP appears to give the impression that all the aspirants have united behind Ajibola, it remains to be seen how the bitter political war had evaporated within weeks.

Another political personae in the emerging political scenario is the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Dr. Mike Omotosho, who is a new entrant but making inroads in the politics of the state.

Omotosho, who is the North- Central Zonal Coordinator of Jonathan Actualisation Movement, had narrowly missed becoming the PDP candidate for Irepodun, Ekiti, Oke Ero and Isin federal constituency. But the LP, probably sensing that his philanthropy and deep purse could invigorate the party, adopted him as its governorship candidate.

Omotosho said if elected, he would only govern the state for one term of four years and leave an enviable legacy for his successor. He also steered away from castigating former and current government officials but opined that Kwarans deserve more than the governance and dividends of democracy they are currently getting.

He encapsulated his intended programmes and policies under an acronym SUREPATH: social security; urban and rural development; responsible and responsive governance; education, employment and entrepreneurship; productivity; agriculture; trade, commerce and industrialisation and healthcare.

All eyes in Kwara are now on April 11 for the true picture of the next political dispensation in the ‘state of harmony.’