Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to flaunt the administration’s achievements towards mobilizing people for a repeat of the 2019 victory.

Speaking at the unity rally/prayer program, organised by the Kwara South senatorial district of the APC at Ajase Ipo, in the Irepodun local government area, the governor also charged APC members to put aside their differences and pursue their ambitions within limits that would keep the party strong and united, even after the primaries.

The governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser (Political), Mallam Abdullateef Alakawa, said that "you don’t expect anyone to help you blow your trumpet.

"Three years down the road after Otoge, it is so far, so good! Notwithstanding the teething problems that come with every social change, we have definitely started the journey for a greater Kwara state on a strong note. The 2023 election is the time to consolidate on these gains. 2023 is the time to tell those who are already plotting a return to hijack the treasury to feather their nests that, whatever the challenges of the social change of 2019, we are never going back to Egypt. We are never going to be subjected to any political demigods again.

"Everywhere you go to in Kwara today, including in the remotest parts of our state, you can now see government presence in various sectors: health, education, road infrastructure, water, and general government support for the silent majority. In Kwara South alone, our administration has executed 268 projects cutting across the health sector, water, education, energy, and road construction. The breakdowns are 188 school development projects; 33 water projects; seven healthcare projects (excluding dozens of interventions); 18 energy projects; and 22 road construction projects. These are either completed or ongoing."

The governor also charged the people to complement efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in enlightening the citizenry on the need to register en masse to enable them to vote in coming general elections, saying "this is the only way to prevent those who put the state in a mess from regaining control of the state.

"The 2023 elections should help to consolidate on the gains of 2019 when the great people of Kwara State North, South, and Central came together to end the reign of people who turned public patrimony to their private estate.

Governor Abdulrazaq, who said that security of lives and property is a top priority of his administration, said: "This is why the government is investing so much in hardware, modern tracking technology, and welfare of our security agencies while working in synergy with local vigilante and traditional institutions to push out criminal elements who are taking advantage of our national security challenges. We are getting solid results, notwithstanding some very sad developments in recent times.

"With heavy heart and commiserations once again to their families, I want to acknowledge the huge loss of some of our party members in the hands of these criminals. It was devastating and that is why we all must double down on the efforts to make Kwara inhabitable to the criminals."

In his address, the APC state Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said that the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) remains the only weapon required to participate in the 2023 elections, urging the people to ensure they register and collect their PVC, saying that any kind of love for or support to a party or an aspirant without PVC is meaningless.

He enjoined party faithful and aspirants to make love, unity, and reconciliation their watchwords, saying, "our party is 75 percent on the ground in Kwara, and with this, we will not only achieve our aims but also win the seats in the state Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and presidential".

Earlier in his welcome address, the APC Kwara South Senatorial Chairman, Hon. Olayemi Olabanji, charged the party faithful to marry varied interests, unite factions and create an atmosphere where synergy is adopted to achieve common goals, urging them to be ready to make sacrifices and accommodate one another for the progress and stability of the party.