More than ever, Kwara Northerners most respectfully and humbly, are saying ‘awa l’okan’. It’s the turn of their region to produce the next governor of the state. There are three regions in Kwara namely North, South and Central. Out of these three, it is only the North that has not produced a governor since the return of democracy in 1999. The South has had former Governor Abdul Fatah Ahmed and the Central, late former Governor Mohammed Lawal of the blessed memory, former Governor Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Kwarans, who are advocates of fairness and justice, have also joined the Northerners in asking the political parties in the state to zone their governorship ticket to Kwara North in 2027 for fairness. However, the momentum this harmless call by the Northerners and well-meaning Kwarans from South and Central is gathering does not go down well with Mr Saraki and his attack dogs who have now resorted to calling the region and its people despicable and demeaning names like “cry babies” and “unserious people”.
The reason for Bukola Saraki and his attack dogs’ onslaught and declaration of war against Kwara North and its people is not far-fetched. It was because they rejected the Greek gift he gave them in 2023. How could Alhaji Shuaibu Yaman win an election which, even if Saraki was the candidate would be defeated by Governor Abdulrazaq, whose first term’s outstanding performance was the reason Kwarans voted for him massively? The nonsense and silly comments Saraki and his stooges are making about Kwara northerners selling out their own should be trashed!
In 2019 when Saraki was expected to hand a northerner the governorship ticket in fairness, he gave it to an unpopular Razak Atunwa from his region whom he thought he could control like his house-help. Given Saraki’s antecedents of political thuggery and electoral malpractice, not many believed his party would lose the governorship seat to the APC. Then, he didn’t consider a Kwara Northerner for the top job but suddenly thought it was wise to zone the ticket to the region in 2023 when it was obvious anyone from there would lose against Abdulrazaq, who had the backing of well-meaning Kwarans.
Besides, how many of Saraki’s minions insulting Kwara northerners for their harmless agitation today can swear or hit their chest that they voted for Yaman in the last governorship election? Many of them neither campaigned nor voted for him. Their excuse was that the Kwara northerner was Senator Gbemisola Sakai’s candidate. The same Gbemi they loathe for joining the Otoge movement to end the reign of the Saraki dynasty in Kwara politics. Even Saraki never wished he won; his macabre dance around Pakata and other places in the state was a mere facade. His hatred for Kwara North is deep and could be seen from the way he redirected all the developmental projects meant for the region to Kwara Central while he held sway as a governor and godfather.
It’s obvious that Saraki is considering one of his brown nosers in Kwara Central for the PDP governorship ticket in 2027. The pages where fairness and justice were in his dictionary have been torn. The war he and his minions declared against Kwara North recently was not only for the region but also for Kwara South. People from the latter dare not come out to say awa l’okan. They would hear a sad story they have never been told before. I read somewhere where one of Saraki’s attack dogs said he would prioritize competence over region in his pick. This is the lie Saraki has directed them to tell unsuspecting Kwarans just to cover up his bias and hatred for Kwara North. Are there no competent people in Kwara North?
Saraki and his attack dogs cannot bully Kwara Northerners into silence for humbly asking and persuading political parties in the state to zone their governorship tickets to their region in 2027. They’re Kwarans, just like many of us, and have every right to decide what they want for themselves. They’ll continue to agitate and express their views about the 2027 governorship election. They’ll continue to reach out to people who matter in the state and get them to support their governorship ambition. If Saraki feels threatened by the momentum their agitation is gathering, they should go and warm eba.
Daud a Human Right Activist writes from Oke foma, Ilorin
