Date: 2019-01-08

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that Kwara State has not been fairly treated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the federal level.

The party added that the APC government has denied the state of its legitimate entitlements in the scheme of things.

Kwara State Coordinator of the Atiku/Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr Ali Ahmad told reporters in Ilorin, the capital, at the official opening of the state office, that the APC candidates do not deserve the votes of Kwarans.

Ahmad, who is the Speaker of the House of Assembly said: "Why will any Kwaran not vote for the party that has demonstrated it can provide the much needed job to our teeming youth by promising that 40 percent of his appointments will be populated by the youth? Today, about 9,300,000 school children are said to be fed every day across the country under one of their opaque programmes, there is not a single pupil from Kwara state that currently benefits.

"Will you not vote for Atiku/Obi who will reverse this trend within their first 100 days? Of course, Kwara enjoys no special privilege from this administration, we expected that. What we did not envisage is denial of Kwara and Kwarans our legitimate entitlements. So many examples are out there, but one will suffice. Federal commissionership at the Federal Civil Service Commission is alternated on a five year-term basis.

"These officers mainly champion the interests of their states at the commission. No wonder Kwarans did not enjoy any appreciable placement at the Federal Civil Service all these years. But, unless we reverse it, the trend will continue. Instead of a Kwaran to succeed Kogi at the commission for its own turn of five years, Kwara was wrongfully denied and Kogi's term was extended for another term of five years back to back. Will you not vote for Atiku/Obi to give us our entitlement, by righting this wrong?

Ahmad added: "Since the last time they came here for campaign in 2015 and we voted them in, they have visited so many states they consider important uncountable number of times, how many times have they come to Kwara since then, if we are important?

"But Kwara is very much important to PDP and, for example, you can count the unprecedented number of Kwarans in the Atiku/Obi national presidential campaign organisation in Abuja. Indeed, the "The Director-General is your son. How many Kwarans are in the other parties and what is the highest office they occupy? Of all the political parties in Nigeria, which one accords Kwara the highest regard and respect?

"Even before the first ballot is cast, the number three position in the country, that is the presidency of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been ceded to us Kwarans by the other 35 states. That is a monumental privilege and never a right. And we all know what comes with that privilege to the state as a whole. PDP is the only party that has done that."