Date: 2019-11-18

The member representing Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Raheem Olawuyi, says his election victory has caused a new culture of good governance across the length and breadth of the state.

Mr Olawuyi said in a statement in Omu-Aran on Sunday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the "O to ge" struggle to herald a new direction of a decent society across Kwara state.

The lawmaker dedicated the anniversary celebration to the five members of All Progressive Congress (APC) who lost their lives during the struggle.

The five deceased APC members were Femi Olaoye (Oko Ward), Segun Adewara (Omu-Aran ward), Folake Awolowo (Arandun ward), Adebanjo Adekeye (Ajase ward 2) and Isa Bakare (Odo-Owa ward).

They died in a ghastly motor accident along Omu-Aran-Oke-Onigbin road, a day after the party's victory in 2018.

Mr Olawuyi said "for decades, Kwarans have yearned for a genuine independent expression of their collective political desire, unhinged by any act of totalitarianism, manipulation and manacling."

"That day was their first experience of the accomplishment of this desire."

"The mandate freely and overwhelmingly given to me and our party on November 17, 2018 represented the beginning of a newly birthed Kwara that is people-owned and people-driven.

"No more shall one individual, in the name of a dynastic hegemony, holds the lives and destinies of millions of others to ransom.

"The campaign that took place in the two weeks and the eventual victory at the polls was a symbolic gesture that the people of Kwara will no longer accept the top-to-down approach in matters affecting their destinies.

"They took control, unified in a volunteering venture unprecedented in Nigeria's modern political history.

"While the status-quo political establishment relied on a well state-funded, logistics-based electoral stratagem, we relied on the steam of the goodwill of our people.

"I am, as I was exactly one year ago, humbled by the awe inspiring resolve of our esteemed people from all axis of Kwara.

"The commune that was experienced on this day one year ago set the tone of the solidarity that swept the unprogressive authoritarian political dynasty away in the main general elections that followed early in 2019."

Mr Olawuyi, who prayed for the repose of the deceased, also praised the dodgedness and commitment of some party leaders Like Lai Mohammed and Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.

He called on party members, leaders and officials to see the victory as a wake-up call to service by promoting a governance culture that will provide decent lives and livelihoods to all categories of the citizenry.

"As we remember the victory of November 17, 2018, and the many memorable events it heralded, we must also be conscious of the future that we must confront.

"All those that have been saddled with public trust, working in concert with our esteemed peoples must not lose focus of the sole objective of the change we clamoured for," Mr Olawuyi said.

(NAN)