Date: 2014-11-25

As the 2015 General Election approach, two gubernatorial aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Mohammed Dele Belgore, SAN, and Alhaji Kale Belgore, have said they remain the best for the job.

The two PDP’s aspirants, who are kinsmen from the notable Belgore family of Ilorin, spoke during separate interviews with National Pilot on Sunday in Ilorin.

Dele, a former gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), said he remains the best man for the job among the rank and file of the aspirants in the state vying for the job.

Belgore, a Senior Advocate of Nigerian (SAN), came second in the last gubernatorial election to the incumbent state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

His gubernatorial ambition has however come under controversy as other PDP gubernatorial aspirants had allegedly accused him of being imposed as the party’s aspirant by Hajia Muinat Shagaya for the 2015 governorship election, an allegation he had since denied.

Similarly, in a telephone chat last night, Kale Belgore, told this medium that his enterance into the race was not for any selfish ambition rather than to better the lots of Kwarans.

However, Kale’s entrance into the governorship race was described by many as a move to confront his kinsman, Dele, who had since welcomed him into the contest.

Though cousins, both of them have been seen to be in different political page.

Kale, who served as a Commissioner for Agriculture during the administration of Bukola Saraki, dissociated self from dirty politicking, adding that if he emerges the next governor of the state, he will embrace the tenets and ideals of good democratic governance.

According to him, “My aim is to better the lot of Kwarans if the opportunity presents itself and I emerge as next governor of the state.

“I have always been interested in the good of Kwarans and that is what I will continue to pursue.

“I don’t want to do dirty politics but will be playing clean and responsible politics. I will follow good democratic ideals”, he added.

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirant, Dele Belgore (SAN) has said he remained the most popular governorship aspirants under the platform of the party.

Belgore, who spoke through his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaiye, was reacting to the allegation of imposition and doctoring of list of delegates with the support of Muinat Shagaya at the last delegate ward congress election to pave way for his (Belgore) emergence as the party's guber candidate in 2015.

According to him, while he is not against the PDP pursuing any viable option it deems most beneficial to the party's interest, he remained the single most popular choice, not just among the rank and file of the state chapter of the party but among all Kwarans.

He described the allegations that any aspirant is being imposed as totally false and mischievous, adding that such "baseless claims are being made to cause needless tension within the state chapter of the PDP.

He said contrary to claims that anyone seeks to change delegates list in Abuja almost three weeks after the delegate election was held, he was the first to commend the process and the election.

"That was hours after the election was held. That shows a man that was confident of his electoral standing! The results of the election, though not yet formally announced, bear a totally different picture from allegations of doctoring any list.

"There is simply no reason to doctor anything. Belgore has nothing to fear from any election in Kwara State both within the party and with the general public", he added.

The former ACN governorship candidate in the 2011 election in Kwara state noted that claims about anyone being imposed as PDP governorship candidate are just calculated blackmail by some persons to pre-empt the outcome of the party's electoral process adding that results from the election, both for the ward delegates and the national delegates, should speak for themselves.