Politics
KWARA State governor-elect Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has said the state has been set free from political bondage and underdevelopment.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, who was on Sunday declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship poll in the state, said this in his acceptance speech in Ilorin.
The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Prof Muhammad Liman, said Abdulrazaq polled 331,546 votes to emerge as the winner of the election.
His Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Mr Abdulrazaq Atunwa, polled 114,754 votes to come second.
The APC beat the ruling PDP in all 16 local government areas of the state.
Liman added that out of 1,376,372 registered voters in the state, 464,393 were accredited.
The total valid votes was 453,433, with 9,994 rejected, and 463,427 being the total number of votes cast.
While the representatives of the APC witnessed the declaration of the result at INEC office, those of the PDP were not at the venue.
In a statement, Abdulrazaq dedicated his victory to the people of the state.
He said, “On March 9, the people of Kwara State finally shook off the yoke of political subjugation and socioeconomic stagnation by voting overwhelmingly for our party in the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
“We are faced with the challenge of evolving a Kwara that works for all, away from the abysmal state of affairs now. We promise to diligently implement our manifesto for the good of our people.”
He added, “Finally, we are grateful to everyone who supported the ‘O to ge’ (Enough is enough!) movement.”
The APC described the outcome of the governorship poll as the end of the Saraki dynasty in the state.
The state chairman of the party, Mr Bashir Bolarinwa, said, “The ‘O to ge’ movement was actually designed by the governor-elect. What it means is that there should be an end to the underdevelopment being experienced in the state; the godfatherism that has hindered development in the state.
“When we had the by-election in November 2018, the party and the people of the state used it to give them (opposition) a sample of what would happen.
“That was the election we used to issue them a yellow card – that we meant business and the people of the state were ready for change.
“Of course, on February 23, the people used the election to issue them a red card. The outcome of the governorship election has confirmed that the Saraki dynasty has been rejected by the people of Kwara State.”
Meanwhile, the daughter of the Emir of Ilorin, Princess Aishat Sulu-Gambari, who contested the Magaji Ngeri/Ilorin Central Constituency poll on the platform of the PDP, lost to Abubakar Olawoyin of the APC.
Sulu-Gambari polled 7,602 votes while Olawoyin polled 17,338 to win the election.
The remaining 23 constituencies were also won by the APC.
Announcing the result on Sunday at the INEC office in Ilorin, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Garba Attahiru, described the election as historic.
“It was in many ways better than the presidential election due to the peaceful atmosphere,” he said.
The PUNCH observed that from the result of the House of Assembly election, only one female, Mrs Joy Adeniran, representing the Shawo/Essa Constituency, won.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Mathew Okedare, lost.
Okedare, who contested on the platform of the PDP, lost his Lanwa/Ejidongari Constituency to Bello Olanrewaju of the APC. – Punch
– Mar. 11, 2019 @ 7:45 GMT |
Tags: Kwara has been set free from political bondage – Gov-elect
