Going by the results of the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kwara State, Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed appears set to return to the Ahmadu Bello Way Government House, Ilorin for a second term in office.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on whose platform Governor Ahmed is contesting the governorship election of the state come April 11, 2015 did not only win the majority votes in the presidential election, it also swept all the available nine (9) National Assembly seats in the state; three senatorial seats and six House of Representatives seats.

If Kwara electorates vote the same way they did during the March 28 presidential elections in the governorship election on April 11, Governor Ahmed is on the threshold of making history. He will create the record of being the first person from Kwara South to rule the state for two consecutive terms and second, only to Dr Bukola Saraki as a two-term governor of the state.

From a humble beginning in 2003 as a commissioner in the administration of Dr Bukola Saraki, Ahmed who hails from a small town of Share in Ifelodun local government area of the state, against daunting odds and strong support from his mentor, Bukola Saraki, became the governor of the state in a fiercely contested governorship election in 2011.

He faced stiff opposition from Senator Gbemisola Saraki of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) and Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN) of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) during the 2011 elections.

But today, Ahmed widely believed to have delivered on his promises to the people of the state is reaping bountifully from being loyal to his political godfather. In the history of the 48 year old Kwara, only Bukola Saraki, the son of the late political godfather of the state had had the rare privileged of ruling the state for two consecutive terms.

It is important to mention here that Ahmed is also enjoying the support of traditional rulers across the length and breadth of the state. This was clearly shown by the encomiums poured on the him over his achievements in the past four years by traditional rulers when the APC took its campaign train to all the 16 local government areas of the state.

The APC intimidating campaign train was led by the leader of the party in the state, Dr Bukola Saraki, the state governor, Alh AbdulFatah Ahmed and the director general of the party’s campaign organization and speaker of the state House of Assembly, Razak Atunwa.

In all the places visited by the APC leaders and their supporters, they were given rousing reception not only by the ordinary members of the communities, but the highly revered traditional rulers in all the communities.

From Offa to Oyun, Ekiti to Oke-Ero, Ifelodun to Irepodun and Isin local government areas in Kwara South; from Edu to Patigi and Moro in Kwara North and from Ilorin West to Ilorin East, and Asa to Ilorin South in Kwara Central, the APC campaign team was received with pomp and pageantry.

The traditional rulers of most of the communities visited in all the 14 local governments did not only reel out the dividends of democracy that their communities have enjoyed from Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed’s administration but also unequivocally endorsed his second term bid.

During the campaign tour of Edu local government area, the Etsu Tsaragi, Alhaji Aliyu Kpotwo, announced that all the traditional rulers in the state had not only endorsed the former governor of Kwara State, Dr Bukola Saraki, as the political leader of the people of the state but were also supporting Governor Ahmed in his second term bid.

The monarch said all the first class graded traditional rulers in the state, chose Saraki after the demise of his father, Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki to lead them politically.

For the traditional rulers, politics in Kwara remained a heritage thing, adding: “If I will not want any destruction to my father’s heritage, then I should do nothing to destroy the political structure that has been of immense benefits to us”.

He disclosed that the people of the town have resolved to make public their political interests, noting that the town had suffered in the past due to wrong information peddled against them. “We don’t want it again. We need to let the world know where we belonged and what we stand for”.

The Etsu, who lauded Saraki for initiating the reconstruction works of his palace praised Governor Ahmed for completing the project now a prized edifice to the people of the town.

In his words: “Anyone here before now who again decided at present to come to Tsaragi will see monumental development achieved under the government of Ahmed.

“Therefore, nobody should tell us that we need to vote for Governor Ahmed for his second term ambition. Instead, we are the ones to come and beg him to come out and re contest. His first term in office was a great blessing to us. We will mobilise our people to return him to power”.

The Etsu said in as much as democracy represents divergence of opinions, he would not allow any of his subjects to deviate from the parts that will benefit them and their children.

Also, the Emir of Lafiagi, Alh Saidu Haliru Kawu, while reminiscing on the existing bond between his people and the people of Ilorin said, they would always align with the Ilorins in whatever may be their political ideologies.

According to him, “In our own Lafiagi, we would not renege on the political agreement between our fore fathers and the Ilorin people. They were always doing things in common. We will not allow this age long harmonious relationship to end during our own time”.

In his own remarks when the APC took its campaign train to his palace, the Emir of Shonga, Dr Haruna Yahaya, catalogued the many achievements of Governor Ahmed’s administration in his community.

He declared: “Your Excellency, all said and done, the government has recorded many achievements both across the state and in Shonga; but as Oliver Twist, Shonga emirate pleads for more. We will continue to assure you of our unalloyed loyalty.

“Your Excellency, I think you have done enough to ensure your overwhelming success at the polls. Once again, we welcome you very heartily to Shonga Emirate. May Allah bless you mission”.

In Ekiti local government area of the state while receiving the APC campaign team, the Owa of Eruku, Oba Olanrewaju Buhari Oyediran, assured leaders of the party that the people of the area were in support of the party and its programmes.

“We have tested APC government and we have seen the need to support the party for further development of our place. Our support for APC is total. It’s the present state government that upgraded my traditional stool to second class even while I was in holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. It is also on record that you constructed our roads”, he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that during the course of APC campaign across the nook and crannies of the state, no fewer than 5000 PDP members in Asa and Ilorin West local government areas defected to the party.

The defectors were led by a university don and foremost critic of the Saraki political dynasty, Dr. Saad Omoiya. Omoiya is also a close political ally of Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), the coordinator of President Jonathan campaign team in Kwara.

The gale of endorsements of Governor Ahmed for second term by traditional rulers during the campaign tour showed that the APC-led government in the state had against all odds met the yearnings and aspirations of various communities in the state in the past four years.

The governor had within the period under review implemented people- oriented programmes and policies, empowering transporters, students, youths, artisans and farmers, among others while also creating employment opportunities to the unemployed.