Supporters Celebrate Defection Of Saraki, Ahmed In Ilorin

Youths and women supporters of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in Kwara state on Thursday celebrated his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

They did this with a rally round major streets of Ilorin, the state capital a day after a rally by some other people seen as antagonistic to Saraki leadership held their rally in the town.

The Saraki’s supporters who displayed placards with inscriptions such as “APC is empty without Saraki,” “APC is dead in Kwara,” “Buhari will be shamed in 2019,” “APC is a party of impunity” and “Salako, you are welcome back to PDP,” “You are welcome back home.” round off their rally at the frontage of the Government House where they addressed by the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The people, while speaking at the Government House through their leader, Yakub Kannike, said they supported the decision of Saraki and Ahmed to defect to PDP as they claimed that APC was not favourable to the state.

Kannike ruled out the possibility of APC winning the forthcoming general elections as they said Saraki factor determines where the pendulum of elections swings in the state.

He stated, “The APC has failed to deliver on its promises to Nigerians, especially the youths. The party has also failed to carry the people of Kwara State along in the scheme of things at the federal level, but have been relegated to second-class citizens by the APC.”

“It is on this basis that we express our support for the Senate President and the governor for finding a new platform to actualize the dreams of our people.

“The Senate President has been tested and trusted by the good people of our dear Kwara State. In fact, he does not need to be in any political party to win elections in the state. The people of the state have said it in many fora that our political party in Kwara is “Saraki.

“The simple interpretation of the above is that the people of the state are always ready to vote for any party that our leader belongs to, at any point in time. There are so many instances to buttress this assertion.

“The 2015 election is still very fresh in our memory. Since 2003 when he was elected the governor of the state, Saraki had been providing a purposeful leadership for the people of Kwara State.”

Governor Ahmed while receiving the people restated reasons he and the Senate President dumped APC.

He said there was outright marginalisation in the scheme of things right from the inception of the APC federally controlled government since 2015 up till date.

He said, “Most of the political appointments at the federal level were done without any input or consideration from the state party stakeholders and in flagrant neglect of established principles of federal character.”

Ahmed who noted that some party leaders who nursed private but personal agenda other than the party manifesto, using the instrumentalities of government, worked against all efforts and entreaties to amicably resolve the impasse.

“The problem became compounded with ceaseless litigations and harassment of himself and the Senate President with the insinuation of complicity in the condemnable Offa robbery,” he stated.