It is different strokes for different folks. That sums up the bickering and altercations currently raging between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition parties in Kwara State over the recently released result of an opinion poll conducted by the Atedo N. A. Peterside (ANAP) Foundation and Ngozi Okonjo Iweala (NOI) that tipped Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to win the 2023 governorship election. According to the statistical result of the poll, Governor AbdulRazaq of the ruling APC was projected to poll 26 per cent, 39 per cent and 28 per cent of votes in Kwara Central, Kwara North and Kwara South senatorial districts, respectively, while other parties trailed far behind.

The polls' results also revealed that 37 per cent of respondents in Kwara North, 28 per cent in Kwara Central and 25 per cent in Kwara South were undecided on whom to vote for. Expectedly, the outcome of the poll was received by the ruling APC and its teeming members as well as supporters with excitement and wild jubilation.

They said the result of the poll only confirmed what has been widely acclaimed within and outside the state that Governor AbdulRazaq is the preferred choice of the people of the state for the 2023 governorship election as a result of his administration's sterling performance in all spheres in the last three and a half years. However, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dismissed the poll as a charade, describing it as a scam which was procured by the ruling APC in the state.

A statement by the party's Publicity Secretary, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, read in part: “The PDP viewed with complete amusement the purported election poll result released by the Atedo Peterside's ANAP Foundation, projecting support of 26 per cent in Kwara Central, 39 per cent in Kwara South and 28 per cent in Kwara North for the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the APC in the forthcoming elections in 2023. “Going by the above results, Governor AbdulRazaq is at the top of the poll's rating and purportedly ahead of all other Kwara State gubernatorial candidates for the 2023 general election.

When the scam perpetrated on Kwarans in 2019 through the 'OTOGE' movement was in full flight of propaganda, they eventually emerged winners by over 65 percent of the votes at the 2019 general election. “We in the PDP, however, wonder how the popularity of an incumbent governor could have waned so much from 65 per cent at the beginning of the regime in 2019 to the miserable level we see today in just over three years. How could such law of diminishing returns affect a sitting governor's phantom silent achievements?” To the PDP, a cursory look at the large numbers of undecided voters is ample evidence that the governor has failed.

“How does one sit as a governor for close to four years and these many people are undecided about the person's reelection bid?, the party queried, adding: “The purported phantom election poll was procured and generated in the face of the upcoming 2023 general election to make the Kwara APC regime look great on paper, and this foolhardy and ill-advised gambit has obviously boomeranged horribly.” Commenting on the poll, the PDP candidate for Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Ajia, also dismissed the result as inconsequential. He said the exercise was sponsored and procured by the ruling APC to hoodwink the unsuspecting electorate.

Addressing journalists in Ilorin, Ajia said: “It is the electorate, who will determine the fate of flag bearers of political parties at the polls physically when the time comes and not fake online polls promoted by politicians who have failed in their amateurish attempt to mislead the people.”

Expectedly too, the Kwara State chapter of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) also rejected the results of the opinion polls, saying its governorship candidate, Alhaji Yakub Gobir, stands the best chance of winning next year's governorship election going by his popularity and wide acceptability across the 16 local government areas of the state.

The party added that the outcome of the poll will not translate to a second-term victory for Governor AbdulRazaq. YPP's Publicity Secretary, Oyewole Oladele, in a statement, said an independent poll of governorship candidates across select states in Nigeria only showed the AbdulRazaq in a shaky lead ahead of the 2023 elections. His words: “Insights from the poll commissioned by ANAP Foundation and conducted by the globally accredited NOI Pollster show that barely 30 per cent of Kwarans are open to giving Governor AbdulRazaq a second chance in office,while the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Social Democratic Party came second and third respectively.

“It is worthy of note that a whopping size of undecided voters toppled the estimated number of loyalists in favour of the governor's second term bid. Kwara YPP notes that its governorship candidate, Alhaji Yakub Gobir, stands the best chance of winning next year's governorship election due to his wide acceptability across the 16 local government areas of the state.”

The ruling APC in the state, which dismissed those who faulted the poll's result, said the opposition parties are only bellyaching for nothing. According to the party, the result of the poll represents the true position in the state as “Governor AbdulRazaq remains the candidate to beat in the 2023 governorship election.” APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Alhaji Tajudeen Folaranmi Aro, said: “While we welcome the results of the polls as a confirmation of the hard work of our exemplary Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the last three and a half years, we even note that the results fall short of the projections of our pollsters that predicted a crushing defeat of the opposition parties that have been holding nocturnal meetings on a possible gang up against the Governor. “We have no iota of doubt that 99 per cent of those labelled as undecided voters are those who will vote for Governor AbdulRazaq in the 2023 governorship election.

We sympathise with the opposition parties, especially the PDP that has been dazed with the outcome of the polls. This is a party whose leaders should bury their heads in shame because the only legacy they have in the state is that of pilferage of public funds and impunity, “The PDP, lately, has been working very hard to deceive the public that it has turned a new leaf following its removal from power in 2019, but we know that a leopard will never change its skin. PDP leaders are certified klep tomaniac of public funds. “We are also amused by the PDP's perpetual headache about commissioning of projects by our administration when the projects are visible to all and acknowledged by the people of the state.

“Unlike the PDP propaganda of commissioning and publicising fake and nonexisting projects on radio, we are excited and impressed by the compliments, accolades and feedbacks by stakeholders and people of Kwara and their common consensus of commendation of Governor AbdulRazaq on the projects across the 16 local government areas, as well as the 193 wards in the state.”

The APC further lampooned the PDP for spreading falsehoods about the loan obtained by the AbdulRazaq administration, saying it is ridiculous for the party to demand that N27.5 billion bond obtained for building of infrastructure be paid in advance to contractors handling various projects in the state. The ruling party asked the PDP to explain how the state is indebted to the tune of N51 billion under its watch while in power in the state, saying the AbdulRazaq administration would not toe the PDP path of dishonor, which the APC said, was the party's trademark when loans and counterpart funds were reportedly misappropriated.

“We observed that the PDP falsehoods against the AbdulRazaq administration are being published on blogs and their WhatsApp groups, we challenge the party to publish the false graft claims against the government of AbdulRazaq in credible newspapers and electronic media and see whether they would not face criminal defamation and pay excruciating damages. “The difference between the AbdulRazaq administration and the PDP regime is like daylight and darkness. The people of Kwara can see the difference. They know that the PDP will only bring pain and misery,” the APC said.