Political parties in Kwara plan alliance against APC

Ahead of the March 11, 2023 governorship and House of assembly elections, strong indications have emerged that opposition parties in Kwara State may form an alliance against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The APC swept all the nine available Senate and House of Representatives seats during last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

The party also won the presidential election in all 16 local government areas of the state.

Speaking at a media event organised to unveil the agenda of the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Abdullahi Yaman, the party’s chairman in the state, Babatunde Mohammed urged the party’s supporters, “to keep a good relationship with members of all other political parties in the state, except the APC.”

At the event which held at Monarchs Hotel, Ilorin, the state capital, the PDP chairman said all the opposition parties were likely to work together for the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.

Mohammed posited that the PDP remained the greatest party in the state and would come out stronger in the next round of elections in the state.

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He said: “PDP remains the greatest party in Kwara. We shall come out stronger in the next elections. PDP is the party that will rule the state in 2023. We won the last election. We shall do everything legally possible to reclaim our stolen mandate.

“I want to urge our members and supporters to be very friendly with members of other parties, except APC. We are likely to work together, because what we are saying is what they are saying.”

Unveiling his plans for the people of the state, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Abdullahi Yaman declared he would focus on economic prosperity for all Kwarans, social service reform, human capital development, infrastructural revolution; financial security and investment for the future.

Yaman announced plans to grow cotton in commercial quantity in Baruten local government area and make the youths the centre- piece of the project.

This, he said, would lead to the establishment of a textile industry to be owned by the youth cotton farmers.

He added that there would be cassava revolution in Kwara South which would lead to the establishment of a starch company and shall be owned by the youth cassava farmers.

Yaman further declared that his administration would work towards making Ilorin, the state capital the commercial nerve centre of the north while ranches would be set up in Kaiama local government area.

“We shall go into partnership to grow cotton in the vast land of Baruten. Mechanisation shall be employed. We shall purchase 250 tractors within the first year. We are already talking with Bank of Industry. We shall build textile factory in partnership.

“The idea is to provide prosperity for young men and women. We shall set up ranches in Kaiama. We are already talking to Nino milk. We shall work to make Ilorin the commercial nerve centre of the north. There will be cassava revolution in Kwara South.

“All this arrangement will bring taxes back to government which we shall use for infrastructure development. With this arrangement, we shall no longer rely on allocations from the federation account,” Yaman said.