Date: 2018-09-14

An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Kwara State, Lukman Mustapha, has distanced himself from Senate President Bukola Saraki and his new party, the People Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that he has never held any position or got contract under "the current hegemony in the state."

He, however, assured that if given the governorship ticket of APC in Kwara State, his government would turn the state to 'Dubai of Nigeria'.

Addressing newsmen, on Friday, at the APC national secretariat, after he returned his nomination forms, the governorship aspirant noted that the low standard of living in Kwara State is responsible for his governorship ambition.

According to him, "Water, health or any other infrastructural development is completely lacking, despite the revenue accruing to the state and generated," lamenting that "there is no indication of development in Kwara state."

Asked to clear the air on the allegation that he is a mole in the APC, Mustapha, whose blood brother is also contesting the party's ticket said: "I'm not a mole to anybody. I have been an opposition to the current hegemony in the state.

"I don't know what makes me a mole. I have never gotten any contract or held any political position under the current hegemony," he stated.

While lamenting the state of things in Kwara State, Mustapha accused the Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed-led government of 'deliberately increasing poverty in the state'.

Similarly, an aspirant from Bauchi State, Capt. Bala Jibril, said that aspirants from the state will only accept the outcome of a direct primary option, stressing that at the moment, there were two suits pending at the Federal High Court in Abuja about the conduct of the last congresses of the party in the state.

According to Capt. Jibril, "If the primaries is conducted through indirect primaries, it will be like building the foundation of a house on nothing, such a building will not stand."

He accused Governor Mohammed Abubakar of filtering away the resources of the state, arguing that while states like Lagos are commissioning projects, Bauchi is showing the President what he described as 'Omolanke Shanu'.