There was a near lock down in Ilorin, Kwara State on Saturday as the campaign train of presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Mohammadu Buhari arrived the state.

A tumultuous crowd of APC supporters and admirers of General Buhari welcomed him at the airport before he proceeded to the palace of Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu Gambari where all the first class traditional rulers had waited patiently for the august visitor.

Though Buhari’s plane landed Ilorin Airport at 10: 45 am, it took him and his team more than two hours to arrive the palace.

 The shout of “Sai Buhari”, “Sai Baba” rented the air as the presidential candidate, sitting atop a luxury bus with his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, APC leader in the state including Senator Bukola Saraki and the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed waved to the mammoth crowd.

From the airport down to Geri Alimi, Saw Mill, Surulere down to the Emir’s palace, the surge of crowd slowed the movement of the team to the palace, taking them over two hours to get to the palace.

The experience was the same after the palace proceedings as he headed to the metropolitan square, venue of the rally. The expansive metropolitan square was filled to capacity.

The Emir who spoke at the palace, said the massive crowd was indicative of his acceptance by the people. He described Buhari as a man of the people who Nigerians look up to, to do justice in the country.

Zulu Gambari said: “I welcome you to the ancient city of Ilorin, I realised that the presidential jet arrives here at 9: o clock. It took them two hours or two and half hours to reach the palace. It is all indicative of the reception that our people have put up for you.

 “General Buhari is not a visitor to Ilorin, he has been associating with us, we have been associating with him in Ilorin and the emirate and in fact the whole of Kwara State with his renown with our son, General Tunde Idiagbon. They are like twins in effect both in office and outside office.

“I have worked with him around 1976, he was then the governor of then north eastern state comprising now about six states and he was the coordinator to divide the north east into three-Bornu, Gongola and Bauchi. So he had to swear in the Permanent Secretaries who have been deployed into these divisions.

“So I was lucky to be among one of them who were sworn before him as the governor of the north-eastern states as Solicitor-General for Gongola state in 1976. Little did I know I would continue to meet him?

“So he is a man of justice, he wants to do justice. Nigeria, the whole country is looking forward to you to do justice. You have a very heavy responsibility as you rightly said. To get there is nothing but to be safely and attentively there. It is almost dinosaur that he would get there having been there before but your task is very heavy. God does not give anybody any position that he cannot cope."