Date: 2018-09-18

Mallam Saliu Mustapha, a former National Deputy Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) has officially declared interest to run for the 2019 governorship election in Kwara on the platform of the All Progressives Change.

Mustapha made the declaration before his mammoth supporters on Monday at Arca Santa Event Centre in Ilorin.

The gubernatorial hopeful pledged to focus on six point agenda if given opportunity to serve the state.

According to him, the areas of priorities will include quality education, civil servant welfare, infrastructure development, youth development, good health facilities and agricultural empowerment among others.

He urged the supporters to be resolute and steadfast at ensuring that the next government in the state was formed by the APC.

"Indeed, today is a milestone in my life, especially in my political sojourn.

"As an astute politician with vast experience of the political situation in our dear country, I have always shared the ideological conviction of President Muhammadu Buhari and I have always believed in his political ideology.

"We started way back APP that later metamorphosed into ANPP. We got to a stage where we formed our own party, CPC through which I became the Deputy National Chairman.

"I was part and parcel of what we called APC today, how the merger came about and after the merger. We had people, who migrated to the party from the new PDP and today they have left and I still remain in APC.

"This alone is a testament to the fact that I am a committed member of the All Progressives Congress. "Some of us believe in our independence. We cannot just be seen jumping around, because our own politics is based on principles and not people who migrate from one place to the other", he said.

The governorship aspirants urged Kwarans to look at how Kwara could be taken to the next level.

However, a 51 year-old Kwara has been a major pre-occupation that has remained incontrovertible.

"Up till this moment, it is still baffling that the lofty vision of the founding fathers of our darling State of Harmony is yet to be achieved; this is in spite of resources available in quantum.

Without sounding hyperbolical, the state has not been managed to earnest it potential compare to other state.

"It is against this background that we have critically and holistically assessed our situation with the belief that all hope is not lost, hence the need to let us collectively fix Kwara come 2019", he said.

He promised to run a participatory government where all hands would be on deck to address the challenges bedevilling state without any form of imposition. He assured party supporters that by the time APC government is formed in the state, the people would enjoy protection of lives and property among other laudable programmes of the APC.

Mustapha, however, urged his supporters to cooperate with whoever emerged the flagbearer of the party even if he was not given opportunity at the end of the primaries.

He added that the struggle was not about individuals, but in the collective interest of the masses and party.

Our correspondent reports that Mallam Saliu Mustapha led his mammoth supporters to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari to receive Royal blessing, while the declaration was witnessed by party stalwarts in the state, former members of the state Assembly and former members of the executive among others.