Date: 2019-01-09

The Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki yesterday said that there is no way for the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu to annex Kwara state, even as he begged the people of the state to forgive whoever among the PDP candidates that might have offended them previously one way or the other to forgive them and vote for all the candidates because of him, and the interest of the state.

Saraki spoke at the flag off campaign ceremony of the gubernatorial candidate of the party ,Hon Abdulrazaq Atunwa, and other contestants of the party in Bode-Sadu ,Moro local government area of Kwara state.

He said,"Whatever wrong any of our candidates had done you, please forgive them because of me, and the interest of Kwara and vote for all of them in the coming elections. Don't worry, whoever among them that failed to perform this time around, we will together send them away

He said the opposition party in the state, APC and its candidates are all the enemies of Kwara state, who want to take the state to the southwest and therefore charged the electorates not to allow them.

He added,"I told you in 2015 that few months to the elections, they would come back to Kwara and be pasting posters all over the place, that they want to become governor. These are the people who have not spent N100,000.for people of their area.They also want to take Kwara to the South west with all manners of lies and propaganda, don’t mind them"

"We have known each other, don't be deceived by their propaganda, they have failed us totally in the last three and a half years. Let's send them away with their hunger,poverty hardship and insecurity they brought to Nigeria with our permanent voters' card (PVC)in the forthcoming elections

"The purported move of Senator Bola Tinubu and his cohorts to take over political power,in the state during the forthcoming general elections is an empty threat that would not materialise.

"Kwara is a state in the northern region of the country and not in the South-west where Senator Tinubu has been allegedly tormenting the people of the zone.

According to him, "those who are against us are not from here and they are outside north and by the grace of God, they will not have their way in Kwara during the 2019 elections".

He also said that, "these oppositions group are not known in Kwara. They are just impostors, full of deception, propagandist among others. I want you to reject them during the polls so as to move the state forward.

"I want to tell you that this forthcoming general elections in Kwara state is between the tenants and landlord and we must all resist the move by the tenants to cause any disharmony in the state."

Also speaking,the Director General of the campaign, Professor Sulyman Abubakar said that, "the members of the PDP in Kwara state and entire people of the state have resolved to frustrate the Senator Tinubu's threat to wrestle power in Kwara state for APC by all means".

He said,"We must all come out with our permanent voters cards and come out en masse during the polls to vote for all the PDP candidates and Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and Mr. Peter Obi as presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate respectively, during the elections"

Professor Abubakar who was a former Minister of National Planning during Dr. Goodluck Jonathan era added that, “Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki is our leader and we will do everything possible to support him to continue to lead us into a greater height".

He said that, the PDP is everywhere in Kwara state and with this unprecedented crowd that you see today show that we are on ground and we will demonstrate this with our votes for PDP during the polls".

Abubakar who decried the level of poverty, sufferings, kidnappings, insecurity in the country enjoined Nigerians to rally support for the PDP during the polls so as to bring a new lease of life to the people of the country.

He therefore urged the PDP members to move to various households in the state and mobilised for the party so as to assist the party to win the forthcoming general elections in the state .

Also speaking, the outgoing governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed said that, the past administrations have brought a new lease of life to the people of the state in the last 16 years.

He said that, "it is on this premise that the people of the state should continue to support the Dr. Bukola Saraki's leadership so as to move the state forward"

Ahmed therefore enjoined the members of the PDP to move to 193 wards in the state so as to ensure the electoral success of the party during the polls.

He also advised members of the party to come out en masse and cast their votes for all the candidates of the party so as to ensure continuity of the administration of the state.

In his remark, the PDP governorship candidate, Hon, Razak Atunwa said that, his administration would add values to the socioeconomic growth of the state if voted into office come March 2, governorship election in the state.

He said he would also continue with the good work of previous administration so as to continue to advance the needs of the rural populace.

Atunwa added that, youths will be empowered and offer employment opportunities so as to contribute their quota to the growth of the state.

The rally was well attended by the leaders of the party and thousands of supporters of the party across the three senatorial districts of the state.

Highlights of the rally was the raising hands of PDP candidate for all elective offices during the forthcoming general elections in the country.