By Steve Oni, Ilorin
A Governorship Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kwara state, Alhaji Shuiab Yaman, has disclosed that the formula for the APC to win the 2019 governorship election in the state is to pick its candidate from Kwara North Senatorial District.
Alhaji Yaman, a long-time political associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, opined that the combination of the District’s assured block votes with other parts of the state is capable of swinging victory for the APC at the poll.
The aspirant, who interacted with journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, on Sunday, said: “During the last governorship election in the state, Kwara Central had 41 percent, while Kwara North was acknowledged to have delivered 30 percent. By the way, Ilorin should have the highest population as it is the state capital. It is made up of people from all parts of the state and even non indigenes.
“As it is shown in the voting pattern in the last election that Ilorin had 41 percent, whether we like it or not Bukola Saraki will take a chunk out of that. Today go to Kwara North we are almost 95 percent APC, unlike previous elections.
“We are coming together for the first time and the Emirs have announced that the people they represent are all APC. Take our own 30 percent, which is original. Bukola Saraki will take 50 percent of the 41 percent of the Kwara Central leaving about 20.5 percent. Which reasonable political calculation would pick 20.5 percent instead of 30 percent that is assured.”
Alhaji Yaman was confident that APC would pick its governorship candidate from the northern part of the state.
He said: “The PDP short-changed this country for so long using autocratic means in selecting the candidates. This is precisely what APC has come to change.
“APC is a party based on fairness and justice. I can not even dream it that APC will give the slot to Kwara Central and not Kwara North.”
To further justify why the north shoud produce the next governor of the state, he said: “I happen to come from Kwara North and we strongly believe that given the singular reason of giving every part of the state a sense of belonging, Kwara North should be the one to produce the next governor of the state. And it is simple. Kwara central has had it for twelve good years. Late Admiral Mohammed Lawal for four years, Bukola Saraki had eight years making a total of twelve.
“Now the Kwara South is almost completing its eight years. And it is significant here that nobody is aspiring from the south. It means that there must be a sense of fairness from these people from Kwara South. It must be sense of justice that is making any of them not to come out for the governorship seat for 2019 elections.
“Every other part of this state must be given its own due place of recognition. And i say it all the time. How will Kwara central justify it that they have had it for twelve years? And they will now come and appropriate another eight years that belong to the north making theirs 20 and on what pedestal will anybody stand to say the northerners should not have. Are we sub-humans or we are not qualified to rule or that we are slaves? In whatever way we look at it, it is unjustifiable.
“Take Nigeria as an instance, Northern Nigeria as it is constituted has got enough numerical strength to keep the presidency of the country in perpetuity. But for evey part of the nation to have a sense of belonging, the north has conceded that it should be rotational and it has become a convention.
“The other argument I hear that it is not in the constitution that we must rotate. There are even constitutions that are not written. The British Constitution is just a Charter. It is not written.
“The foundation for peace is justice. In this stage we believe what is just is just and what is fair is fair. It is the turn of Kwara North to produce the governor. Anybody giving any other story is saying it on selfish stand.
“This is the story they bandied in 2011. They told us that if we want to defeat Bukola Saraki, we must field an Ilorin man. Dele Belgore was presented, he did not win. Abdulfatah Ahmed from Kwara south won. So why are they giving us the same soup that we tasted yesterday that was bitter today again. Either way it’s wrong, it is immoral and unjustifiable for the central to even attempt to contest, after all they claim to be our brothers.”
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