With the 2023 general elections fast approaching, a candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the Kwara North senatorial District, Kolo Jiya, has expressed his confidence in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair and acceptable elections.

Jiya passed his vote of confidence on Monday while fielding questions from a VON correspondent in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, North Central Nigeria. Scoring the electoral umpire high in his scorecard, Jiya noted that if the commission, with its recent trend in conducting elections, things won’t be business as usual again where people can influence and predict the election’s outcome.

“INEC, I believe by 80%, have tried, and with the trend of things, if things go like this, at the end of the day, the election will not be business as usual where someone will come and boldly say they will win the election,” he said. While stressing his trust in the commission, Jiya urged them not to disappoint the people, saying that if the election is free and fair, there wouldn’t be any problem or need for unlimited litigations.

He added, “INEC is on top of it, and I have confidence in them, and I want to urge them not to disappoint the people. If the election is free and fair, there wouldn’t be any problem. The future of this country is in their hands; we have deposited that trust in them, so they should not disappoint us; instead, they should declare anyone that wins the election the winner. Suppose anyone loses the election in a free and fair process. In that case, such a person will know that it isn’t his time, but in a situation whereby one knows he won the election and the results were manipulated, such could lead to crisis. But I don’t think that will happen with the INEC of today,” Jiya emphasised.

Reacting to the recent flood that ravaged most parts of the country, including some communities in his constituent, the NNPP Senatorial candidate said such water would have been well channeled and diverted to serve for mechanised irrigation farming as it is being practiced in developed countries and blamed the Nigerian Government for her insensitivity to the reoccurring yearly disaster which he said, needed to be addressed holistically. According to him, if voted for, the bad road network affecting the living standard of his people, who are predominantly farmers, would be tackled with all sincerity to enable his people to go back to the farm and return Kwara State to what the state was known for which is the food basket of the nation.

Kolo reiterated his call for local government autonomy, which according to him, would not only open the local communities to the urban areas but would provide more job opportunities for the unemployed graduates. He lamented the backwardness of some communities in the district in education. He assured the people that such a sector would be addressed holistically for the benefit of all and sundry.

Meanwhile, the Senatorial Candidate and his team have embarked on a tour of part of his constituent in the Tsaragi district of Edu Local Government of the State in continuance of his direct engagement with the people of Kwara North, who he wants to represent at the Red Chambers. He also used the visit to understudy and attend to the numerous challenges facing the people while documenting the opportunities the communities can collectively explore as he bares his “Kwara North of our Dream” mantra.

Many of the people in the different towns and communities visited lamented the lack of sincerity and negligence successive representatives have meted out on them who, despite getting their votes and support, always ignore their yearnings once they get the seat. They, however, commended Kolo Jiya for his simplicity and people-oriented programmes for the district and eulogised his many interventions across the community.