A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP), Raheem Adedoyin has expressed worries about how opposition politicians in Kwara State have been working against the legacies of the late bigwig and of the state's politics, Dr Olusola Saraki. Adedoyin, the journalist turned politician who is also the Senior Special Adviser to the State Governor on Communication, dismissed as futile and unattainable plots by those he called desperate opposition politicians to unseat the governor and also dethrone the incumbent scion of father Kwara politics, Dr Bukola Saraki, the biological son of the late politician. In this interview with ABIODUN FAGBEMI in Ilorin, the Senior Special Adviser declared that the achievements of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and the indelible legacies and deft politics of the late Olusola Saraki inherited by his successor-son, Bukola would ensure a continued victory for the Saraki political family in Kwara.

What is your reaction to the belief in some quarters that the government of Governor Ahmed has failed the people especially provisions of social amenities?

The people saying this are unfair to this government. We need to understand at a glance the policy thrust of the government since the last three and a half years ago. The government set a target for itself to complete the projects of its predecessor and continue in those policies beneficial to our people.

The bane of Nigerian politics is the wrong penchant for dismantling the projects of predecessors. But in the case of Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, he believes in making a name for himself by completing all the projects of his predecessor, our political leader, Dr Bukola Saraki. It will be nonsensical for the people's government like ours to abandon useful projects of its predecessor.

What are some of these projects you are talking about?

These include the world class diagnostic centre in Ilorin. Saraki's government started the project but the incumbent governor completed it. The same story is applicable to the case of International Aviation College, Ilorin. The products of the college today are full time pilots all over the world. He could have chosen to dismantle these projects as some governors had done.

In Isin council, where Chief Iyiola Oyedepo the state chairman of the opposition PDP hailed from, Ahmed made sure that the roads there were tarred and completed as designed without any political consideration. With this, one can imagine the number of kilometres of roads this administration had completed.

Besides, Ahmed ensured that the five initial General Hospitals across in the three senatorial districts in the state have been up-graded and turned into mega hospitals with appropriate staffing and world class facilities supplied. Today, it will be a medical tourism for any sick person in the state to travel abroad for medical treatment. Don't also forget the project of International Vocational Centre Ajase-Ipo. This novel training institute was designed by this government to serve as a haven for producing the needed manpower for the state. It is expected that the centre will stop the influx of non-Kwarans taking over certain appointments considered too technical for non-properly trained professionals.

This school is in partnership with a renowned school of vocational training; City and Guide, London. Already, Ahmed has gradually fulfilled his promise to make portable water supply available within five metres to any citizen in the state. This has spread even to the remotest parts of Kwara.

The Quick Win initiative for youth employment is a temporary measure aimed at making the youths in the state gainfully engaged and thus eradicate, insolence and social crimes among them. This job according to the Governor will translate into a permanent job soonest.

But if this government is truly that of continuity as claimed by you, why are many people insinuating the absence of produce or products of Shonga Farm in market, because Saraki's government established the commercial farm?

The commercial farm thing was the greatest achievement of Saraki's government. Initially, a lily livered man would have backed out of the arrangement but Saraki's courage and resilience have today placed the state on a world map. We are the better for it now. The government of Ahmed has taken the project to a sweet level. The farm produce go into markets and are even being exported. If people don't know, the largest quantity of the chicken eaten today is from the diary syndicate of that farm. Anyone talking of not seeing the Shonga products in the market is dwelling on mischief. You must give kudos to Saraki for choosing the right successor, otherwise, the project would have been an exercise in futility.

You seem to be a great sympathiser of Ahmed's government. What is your take on his second term ambition?

Politics is about interest. As a Commissioner under Saraki I could remember how he stopped some of us campaigning for his second term in office. He used to caution us then that it was not yet time for that. In the same vein, Ahmed to the best of my knowledge never expressed his desire to go for second term on anybody to tell him of his interest for a second term in office. But due to his great achievement in office, I think he deserves a second term. Many people believe this will give him the opportunity to complete all his numerous projects and start new ones as well.

But it appears that only the people of Kwara South senatorial district where Ahmed hails from are in the forefront of this campaign?

If you say the people of Kwara South are making the loudest noise on this I will believe you. They want their own man which is a normal thing under democracy. All the town hall meetings people have held on this issue expressly gave their tacit approval to the second term thing. The dynamics in Kwara South politics is not about eye service. If you don't know this, his government completed over 31 road projects in Kwara South alone this includes the ones in my town and those areas predominantly occupied by some PDP supporters. I believe he did a similar thing in other districts. Go to Oke-Ode/Igbaja road. See Okerimi-Oro road project in Irepodun LGA, Araorin/Arandun, market/ Landmark Road in Omu-aran among others.

Kwara people are very satisfied with what he has done. They will all support him if he gets the ticket. But we believe it will be by leadership and followership thing. The system in Saraki's political dynasty is not about struggling for many things. Our political leader (Saraki) said he (Ahmed) had done well but yet to give his consent to the ticketing issue. People are the ones establishing the continuity thing.

Unlike in the recent past, Kwara state politics at present seems to be very active. Do you think it will still be business as usual for the Sarakites come 2015 general elections?

Elections in Kwara had never been a tea party; but from 1979 till date, the wining machinery is the Sarakis. The founder, a great visionary late Olusola Saraki, established the machinery and the machinery today has even surpassed the founder. Bukola Saraki our leader is the Senior Prefect of the dynasty. We have many other prefects as well but I think in all honesty, he has been able to bring all of us together as one big family.

Those who are not with us today at the APC are Coalition of Aggrieved People, (CAP). What exactly are they looking for? Some of them are shouting freedom. Freedom for who? Tell me one of them who didn't benefit from the famous Saraki's political hegemony. They say they don't like Saraki's style of politics but he was smarter than all of them because he was always planning for the future. He did it in such a way that the dynasty does not belong to Bukola Saraki alone. The late Saraki in his life time used to tell us to make people our reference point in politics at all times. Many of those abusing Saraki today are foreigners in their home towns. They don't visit home and very far from their people, so who will put such people in power? They may not like the face of the younger Saraki but they have no choice as they are very infinitesimal in number and proportion. The PDP has accused your party of promoting god fatherism in Kwara politics. Besides, the party boasted of having about 40 stalwarts that could never lose elections at their various wards. Are these not enough proofs of the strength of the opposition in the state?

I have just told you that our leader is a senior prefect and we have other prefects so where lies the concept of god fatherism? He doesn't impose candidate on us even when his interest on such is glaring. It is therefore a sheer blackmail to continue to call our leader an impostor. He always allows us all to make our contributions on any issue. If there is a failure on our parts then we are the ones to be held responsible.

Let us assumed that they truly have 40 bigwigs which I doubt, though what is 40 out of 193 wards we have? It means they have nailed their own political coffin. The remaining 153 are for us, simple. The so called chieftain only have names but have no electoral value. But in contrast, at APC, we have tested people who had won elections in the past and had held various elective posts. PDP is a rudderless party in Kwara. Nature does not allow that as everybody can't lead at the same time. In PDP especially in a council in Ilorin, they could not elect their leaders, everyone of them was playing up his ego. So where lies the concept of democracy in such a party? These people are just boasting in order to allow their pay master in Abuja knows that they are working. Out of 50 member cabinet of Saraki's political dynasty who had been with us since the year 2003, only five had left us.n