Date: 2019-03-08

The gubernatorial candidate of Labour party, LP, in Kwara State, Comrade Issa Aremu, has directed his supporters to vote for the candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in Saturday's election.

He however clarified that the partnership still retains the identity of Labour party in the state as it did not join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Issa Aremu spoke in an interview with journalists in Ilorin at Mustapha Akanbi Foundation Hall where his party members gathered with Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and other top aides ofAPC also in attendance to seal the partnership.

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in his reaction, said he felt great and confident, stressing that the electorate across the board should also vote for APC candidates in the state assembly to enable him "kill" the Governor’s pension bill ,which enriches Governor and his deputy with palatial mansions in Ilorin and Abuja after office among other entitlements.

Comrade Aremu however said that the partnership became necessary to completely liberate Kwara State from a political dynasty.

He said, "Today mark the liberation of Kwara State and mark end of 16 years of bad governance in our dear state. We have taken this position looking at the bigger picture, we agree that it is better to win collectively than to lose separately. We have done it before during the presidential election ,through the joint efforts of Labour Party and APC we made sure that President Muhammadu Buhari won creditably. "Our position today is to rescue Kwara from a dictatorship of one person for the past two decades. What it means is that we will be on the road now to canvass and tell our voters to vote for Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq."

Does it mean you are stepping down?

He reacted, "Constitutionally, you can't talk of stepping down now because INEC has already printed our names on their ballot papers. But what we have said today loud and clear is that we get our members in Labour Party to vote for Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. That does not mean we are in APC, No we are just partners, we retain our identity.

GUBER POLL: The battle of two Abdulrazaqs in Kwara

"We are in partnership with Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq because he has made commitment to revive agriculture in the state and return to Kwara what truly belongs to kwarans. Labour party has the template to revive Kwara and industrialize Kwara which Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has adopted, to us that is more important than anything else."