Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, says President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is building a stronger nation and living up to the dreams of the founding fathers of the country.
The governor stated this when thousands of defectors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and other parties on Saturday formally pledged allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State.
Governor AbdulRazaq said the development attests to the rising popularity of the party owing to the people-focused programmes and policies of his administration.
“Evidently, President Muhammadu Buhari, Governors, lawmakers and all officials elected on the platform of APC are clearly living up to the dreams of the founding fathers of our country.
“The economy is growing stronger amid unprecedented infrastructural development while increasing attention is being paid to security of lives and properties,” the Governor observed, amid cheers from the defectors, top APC chieftains, and government functionaries who included Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, Speaker Danladi Yakubu-Salihu, Secretary to the State Government Prof Mamman Saba Jubril.
According to him, the Kwara State government has remained committed to good governance and proud of the impacts that our investments in human capital and infrastructural development are having on the people.
He added that the social security programmes targeting the poor and vulnerable are glaring while the security of lives and properties remains a top priority as the government is putting Kwara on a sound footing to lead the North once again.
He disclosed that the government has also prioritised youths and women empowerment and inclusion, widening employment opportunities and paying attention to all that can guarantee the brightest future for our younger generation.
The governor said the mass defection to APC is a tonic for all of them in trusted positions to continue to give our best for the collective good of our people and therefore urged the party members to work together as a team and members of the same APC family in the state.
He said the party is made stronger with its policies that guarantee equal opportunity for all members, old or new, adding that no fewer than 400,000 new (APC) members have so far been registered in the state.
Former presidential candidate of the ACPN, Gani Galadima, who spoke on behalf of the defectors from the central senatorial district, said his defection was hinged on the deliberate efforts of the Governor to reposition Kwara through massive infrastructural renewal, his care for the people, and his hands-on approach to governance, culminating in tangible impacts on the populace.
“We are joining the party because we are convinced with the response of the governor to the issue of leadership. For the first time in Kwara State, we have a 24hr governor who works day and night,” he said.
Comrade Issa Aremu, a former governorship candidate of the Labour Party and Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, commended AbdulRazaq for his investment in the education sector.
“I am pleased to identify with my governor for the wonderful things he is doing in Kwara State. I am proud of your achievements. I went to my school, Ilorin Grammar School, and I saw the wonderful job you have done there,” Aremu added.
The chairman caretaker committee of the APC, Abdullahi Samari said the party is pleased to receive people who cherished the developmental strides of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and urged them to join the party from ward levels across the state.
“When you go back to your respective communities, I appeal to you to work together. Accept all members. APC has no faction in Kwara. Elders and leaders of the party should go back home, embrace peace, and ensure that everyone works together for the success of the party across the state,” he added.
Speakers from the three senatorial districts took turns to highlight the various strides of the AbdulRazaq-led administration, commending him for his special attention to the poor and the vulnerable.
Defectors included all the immediate past council chairmen, including former ALGON Chairman, Joshua Adekanye, Fatai Adeniyi Garba (Labaka), and Yinka Dallas, who hailed the Governor for his democratic dispositions and his commitment to developments with direct impacts on the people, especially at the grassroots.
Zainab Sa’id
