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Last Saturday’s November 17 bye-election for the House of Representatives seat for Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero constituency in Kwara State, was indeed a straight battle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The election came months after the defection of Dr Busola Saraki, the Senate President, and Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Kwara State governor, from the APC, to the PDP.
By the defection of the duo to PDP, Lai Mohammed, the Information and Culture Minister, being the highest APC chieftain in government, automatically became the party’s leader in Kwara State, thus igniting a leadership tussle between him and Saraki as to who controls the politics of the state.
Prior to now, the Kwara politics was known to be in the full grip of the Saraki dynasty right from the time of the late patriarch, Dr. Olusola Saraki, a position which naturally fell on Busola Saraki at his father’s death.
But, with the APC’s victory in the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero constituency bye-election, Saraki’s leadership in the Kwara politics seems to be under threat by Lai Mohammed.
At the end of the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Saturday night, confirmed Raheem Olawuyi, the APC candidate as winner.
Prof. Abimbola Adesoji, INEC’s Chief Returning Officer for the poll, said Olawuyi got 21,236 votes, followed by PDP with 18,095 votes. The Labour Party had 150 votes, the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) 76 votes and UPN 42 votes.
Professor Adesoji said out of the 40,930 total votes cast, the total number of valid votes was 39,599 while 1,331 votes were rejected.
In his reaction, Olawuyi said his victory was as a victory for the people of the state. Olawuyi said the success was a sign of more victories to come for the APC in the 2019 general elections in Kwara.
Olawuyi said: “This is a happy moment for me because we have been doing this for a long time. When your time has come, no one can stop you. But, at the same time, I give glory to God, because it is the best time Allah has created for me.
“My party believed in me to put me forward for the assignment and I thank God I have delivered,” he said.
Olawuyi, who described his party as the best in Africa, said he was never scared of the opposition because he is a grassroots politician that is loved by his people.
He said because of the fact that his people love him and follow him with passion, he would always defeat his opponents in a free and fair election.
Olawuyi said the state government’s statement that the election was between the PDP and the security agencies was laughable because it was what they were used to.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, in his reaction, said the APC administration would bring about the desired transformation envisioned for the state when it would assume power in 2019.
Mohammed was euphoric over the election victory while addressing thousands of APC supporters in his hometown of Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.
The party’s supporters were on a solidarity visit to the minister over the party’s victory in the bye-election won by Olawuyi.
The minister said the people of the state were yet to fully harness the positive impact of the APC federal administration’s people-oriented policies and programmes.
According to him, with the emergence of the party’s candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrasak, 2019 general elections would bring about the desired growth, progress and development in the state.
He described the just-concluded Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency bye-election as an eye opener, saying that it was the first time the state witnessed an election devoid of molestation and harassment.
The minister, who described the election as credible, free and fair, said the adequate deployment of security personnel for the election which was being misconstrued by the PDP-led state government, was basically to maintain law and order.
“This is the first time the state is witnessing an election where people would not be subjected to act of harassment and intimation due to adequate security which provided a level playing ground.
“Perpetrators of such violence of act in the years past are not always apprehended because that is the only weapon being employed to win elections by those who thought the state belongs to them.
“I want to assure that this is just the beginning of many good things to come the way of the state as we have not fully utilised the goodies of President Muhammad Buhari.
“But come 2019, when our candidate takes over the mantle of leadership, the party will surely make the difference in terms of good governance,” he said.
Saraki, in his reaction, also thanked the people of Ekiti/Oke Ero/Isin/Irepodun, who he said, “came out to vote today – defying the heavy intimidation and the siege laid by the security agents and thugs invited into the four LGAs by the APC.
“The public should note that today’s #KwaraByElection was simply between PDP and security agents plus APC. This was due to the heavy deployment of police, soldiers and other security agents who gathered to support APC and harass PDP leaders and supporters.
“This is the first time that elections in Kwara State will be held under such charged, tensed and militarised conditions. We had INEC officials complaining about their own safety – and PDP supporters were brazenly intimidated, which resulted in low turnout of voters.
“It is important to reiterate that ahead of the 2019 elections, such open displays of intimidation are sending wrong signals. Our democracy is being undermined with this misuse of our nation’s security apparatus,” he said.
However, as the bye-election had come and gone and the tow politicians have been laying claim to the political leadership of Kwara State, events between now and the elections in February will determine who indeed will come up as the juggernaut, between Saraki and Mohammed.
This is because observers believe that a bye-election, which held only in one federal constituency may not be a reliable and sufficient criterion to determine who among the tow political chieftains and their parties that is more popular than the other presently.
They also maintain that it would be a wishful thinking if the APC waves off Saraki’s enviable performance during the Port Harcourt presidential primary of PDP, where he came second, and his influence at a two-term governor of Kwara State as well as his position as the nation’s Number Three citizen.
This is as the overwhelming support of APC as not only the nation’s ruling party, but also Kwara’s ruling party until the recent defections that returned him to the opposition in the state. Mohammed also, cannot be seen as a push over, as an all-time propagandist of the party and a leader of note in the state.
Governor Ahmed’s influence also, will play crucial role as well in determining where the political pendulum will swing to in 2019 general elections.
Did the bye-election really break the Berlin Wall of Kwara, as Lai Mohammed referred to the grip of the Saraki dynasty in the state? Only time will tell if this chest beating was not too early. The performance of both parties in the 2019 general elections will either prove him right or wrong. (Daily Independent)
The election came months after the defection of Dr Busola Saraki, the Senate President, and Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Kwara State governor, from the APC, to the PDP.
By the defection of the duo to PDP, Lai Mohammed, the Information and Culture Minister, being the highest APC chieftain in government, automatically became the party’s leader in Kwara State, thus igniting a leadership tussle between him and Saraki as to who controls the politics of the state.
Prior to now, the Kwara politics was known to be in the full grip of the Saraki dynasty right from the time of the late patriarch, Dr. Olusola Saraki, a position which naturally fell on Busola Saraki at his father’s death.
But, with the APC’s victory in the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero constituency bye-election, Saraki’s leadership in the Kwara politics seems to be under threat by Lai Mohammed.
At the end of the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Saturday night, confirmed Raheem Olawuyi, the APC candidate as winner.
Prof. Abimbola Adesoji, INEC’s Chief Returning Officer for the poll, said Olawuyi got 21,236 votes, followed by PDP with 18,095 votes. The Labour Party had 150 votes, the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) 76 votes and UPN 42 votes.
Professor Adesoji said out of the 40,930 total votes cast, the total number of valid votes was 39,599 while 1,331 votes were rejected.
In his reaction, Olawuyi said his victory was as a victory for the people of the state. Olawuyi said the success was a sign of more victories to come for the APC in the 2019 general elections in Kwara.
Olawuyi said: “This is a happy moment for me because we have been doing this for a long time. When your time has come, no one can stop you. But, at the same time, I give glory to God, because it is the best time Allah has created for me.
“My party believed in me to put me forward for the assignment and I thank God I have delivered,” he said.
Olawuyi, who described his party as the best in Africa, said he was never scared of the opposition because he is a grassroots politician that is loved by his people.
He said because of the fact that his people love him and follow him with passion, he would always defeat his opponents in a free and fair election.
Olawuyi said the state government’s statement that the election was between the PDP and the security agencies was laughable because it was what they were used to.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, in his reaction, said the APC administration would bring about the desired transformation envisioned for the state when it would assume power in 2019.
Mohammed was euphoric over the election victory while addressing thousands of APC supporters in his hometown of Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.
The party’s supporters were on a solidarity visit to the minister over the party’s victory in the bye-election won by Olawuyi.
The minister said the people of the state were yet to fully harness the positive impact of the APC federal administration’s people-oriented policies and programmes.
According to him, with the emergence of the party’s candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrasak, 2019 general elections would bring about the desired growth, progress and development in the state.
He described the just-concluded Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency bye-election as an eye opener, saying that it was the first time the state witnessed an election devoid of molestation and harassment.
The minister, who described the election as credible, free and fair, said the adequate deployment of security personnel for the election which was being misconstrued by the PDP-led state government, was basically to maintain law and order.
“This is the first time the state is witnessing an election where people would not be subjected to act of harassment and intimation due to adequate security which provided a level playing ground.
“Perpetrators of such violence of act in the years past are not always apprehended because that is the only weapon being employed to win elections by those who thought the state belongs to them.
“I want to assure that this is just the beginning of many good things to come the way of the state as we have not fully utilised the goodies of President Muhammad Buhari.
“But come 2019, when our candidate takes over the mantle of leadership, the party will surely make the difference in terms of good governance,” he said.
Saraki, in his reaction, also thanked the people of Ekiti/Oke Ero/Isin/Irepodun, who he said, “came out to vote today – defying the heavy intimidation and the siege laid by the security agents and thugs invited into the four LGAs by the APC.
“The public should note that today’s #KwaraByElection was simply between PDP and security agents plus APC. This was due to the heavy deployment of police, soldiers and other security agents who gathered to support APC and harass PDP leaders and supporters.
“This is the first time that elections in Kwara State will be held under such charged, tensed and militarised conditions. We had INEC officials complaining about their own safety – and PDP supporters were brazenly intimidated, which resulted in low turnout of voters.
“It is important to reiterate that ahead of the 2019 elections, such open displays of intimidation are sending wrong signals. Our democracy is being undermined with this misuse of our nation’s security apparatus,” he said.
However, as the bye-election had come and gone and the tow politicians have been laying claim to the political leadership of Kwara State, events between now and the elections in February will determine who indeed will come up as the juggernaut, between Saraki and Mohammed.
This is because observers believe that a bye-election, which held only in one federal constituency may not be a reliable and sufficient criterion to determine who among the tow political chieftains and their parties that is more popular than the other presently.
They also maintain that it would be a wishful thinking if the APC waves off Saraki’s enviable performance during the Port Harcourt presidential primary of PDP, where he came second, and his influence at a two-term governor of Kwara State as well as his position as the nation’s Number Three citizen.
This is as the overwhelming support of APC as not only the nation’s ruling party, but also Kwara’s ruling party until the recent defections that returned him to the opposition in the state. Mohammed also, cannot be seen as a push over, as an all-time propagandist of the party and a leader of note in the state.
Governor Ahmed’s influence also, will play crucial role as well in determining where the political pendulum will swing to in 2019 general elections.
Did the bye-election really break the Berlin Wall of Kwara, as Lai Mohammed referred to the grip of the Saraki dynasty in the state? Only time will tell if this chest beating was not too early. The performance of both parties in the 2019 general elections will either prove him right or wrong. (Daily Independent)
