It was known to all that the APC in the 27th of February and the 9th of March elections achieved a landslide victory in Kwara State while the current ruling party in the state, the PDP , is getting prepared to record metamorphosis and change status to the opposition party, the APC is getting set to take over the control of the party. The APC won all the state House of Assembly seats and ahead of the inauguration of the 9th legislative session, the tempo of nocturnal and diurnal meetings and activities have increased meteorically in the state. It has also presented a scene of feverish activity as the members-elect have been strategizing and tapping contacts to get placed at vantage and strategic positions ahead of the inauguration of the house of assembly new lawmakers.
Interestingly, the battle has centered mainly on who emerges as Speaker and it is limited to the members-elect from the Kwara South and the Kwara North understandably because the governor-elect is from the Kwara Central. However, the Kwara South has only one aspirant, Hon. Saheed Popoola, a former LG boss, ex-commissioner and the only second term member-elect. Those canvassing for his candidature argued forcibly that it would be unfair not to reward him for his loyalty to the party. Saheed was the only state lawmaker that last year, refused to join Dr Bukola Saraki and Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed to defect from the APC to the PDP last year. Osun State former governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and some other APC leaders are backing his candidature.
‘If it is about experience, he is the only one that has got the required exposure, he also remained in the party and did not decamp and he exposed himself to risks, he has been with the APC leaders for years, remember Aregbesola had to move to Offa to address a world press conference in his defence when he contested for Offa local government chairmanship seat, he should be compensated for his loyalty. More so, the Speaker can be from anywhere apart from where the governor comes from, you know the Deputy Governor is just a spare Tyre. More importantly, we must not sacrifice merit on the altar of sentiments’, said a source. The people of Kwara North are, however, adamant and have made it clear that nothing will deny the zone from producing the Speaker of the House of Assembly and the SSG.
‘Forget about any other senatorial district producing the Speaker of the House of Assembly or the SSG , we are getting the two positions, it is not open to debate. What is the challenge now is that we are yet to meet and agree on which one will go to each of the two federal constituencies, we are meeting soon and once we do that, it is settled’, a member of APC from the Kwara North insisted. A former chairman, Edu Local Government , Usman Guegi and Abdulahi Halidu Danba from Kaiama are among the aspirants from the Kwara North. The house of assembly members-elect returned to Ilorin on Thursday after a retreat in Ghana which was attended by the governor-elect, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and other party stalwarts. It was not known however, if the issue of the leadership of the 9th house of assembly was tabled at the retreat but sources hinted that the party chieftains at the national level have remained resolute in the support for the candidature of the Offa born Saheed Popoola. We shall keep you posted as events unfold.
-Akinlolu Abayomi
