BIOLA AZEEZ reports the kick off the campaign of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State and the determination of the gladiators from the major parties in the coming elections to give peace a chance.

Past political experiences have shown that absence of tolerance among leaders and members of political parties account for the violence before that usually characterisethe electoral process, particularly during and after every election in the country.

In a situation whereby politicians do not see politics as a matter of life and death, there will be tolerance, fear of God and brotherly consideration in all political matters. Unfortunately however, the level of tolerance among politicians appears rather too low to have non-violent elections next month.

Reports have indicated that many politicians sell their property to finance their aspiration for elective positions. Consequently, such politicians will do almost everything possible to win election, since they will want to recoup the investment put into politics.

While Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is the opposition party in Kwara State, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government of low performance in last four years, the ruling government has blamed inability to either complete or start some of its projects on paucity of fund.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the Commissioner for Information, Chief Tunji Moronfoye, accused the Federal Government of starving it of fund.The commissioner, who said deductions were being made from federal allocations accruable to the state, added that Federal Government had even blocked access to borrow money to implement some projects.

He said despite the cash crunch, the government had gone ahead to pay its workers regularly, embarked on and inaugurated projects including the renovation of five general hospitals, construction of roads, provision of transformers, potable water in different parts of the state.

The commissioner also said that the Federal Government wasowing the state government over N4 billion as reimbursement for the money which he said the state government spent on construction of Baruten-Kosubosu Road.

The APC supporters had also accused the governorship candidate of the PDP, Senator Simeon Ajibola, of deceiving people on his personality and religious status. The allegation was that the PDP governorship candidate, supposed to be a Christian, pasted posters wearing turban with Quranic inscription.

The camp of the PDP governorship candidate has refused to make any comment on the allegation.

With flag off of campaign for February general election, more issues, claims and counter claims are expected to rule the airwaves and pages of newspapers in attempts to win elections.

The ruling APC government will want to rely on the incumbency factor to win the election. It has also directed all the councillors, local government chairmen, House of Assembly members, members of House of Representatives, commissioners among other top government functionaries to embark on mobilization drive and ensure majority of the votes come the way of APC next month.

As campaign intensifies, the APC hopes to win more votes that the opposition in areas where it had sited projects with the expectation that the people of such areas would want to reciprocate the gesture of government by voting for continuity.

Another important factor that is being played up is the issue of place of birth. People of Kwara South senatorial district, particularly in Share town of Ifelodun Local Government Area, where the incumbent governor hails from, have pledged to vote for re-election of their kinsman. His main challenger in the PDP is incidentally from the same senatorial district and the battle will now be who gets more votes from the area.

The battle will be decided by majority of the votes from the two other senatorial districts-Kwara Central and Kwara North. Candidates from both parties and their gladiators as well will require great efforts to convince the electorate on reasons to vote for them.

The APC government has been saying that its development projects reportedly spread in all parts of the state are there to convince electorate, while the opposition party boasts that it will get political freedom for people of the state.

Speaking during flag off of APC campaign inKwara, the partyleadership described leaders of PDP in the state as apprentices of Saraki political dynasty, saying they have never won any election by themselves or with their personality.The state chairman of the party, Alhaji IsolaBalogun-Fulani, said the opposition party would be defeated in the next general election.

“They are all apprentices of Baba Saraki and Bukola Saraki political structures. They didn’t wait for graduation before they ran away. They have never won any election except under Saraki structure. They are all paper weight and they can’t know the game more than the masters and so they will all be defeated in the next general election,” he said.

In a response to the above statement, a chieftain of PDP in the state, Alhaji AbdulmuminKatibi, who was a commissioner under the administration of former governor BukolaSaraki, said, “The late political leader, DrOlusolaSaraki was a man with milk of kindness flowing in him. When you meet Saraki, you have met a human being; you have met somebody who wants everybody, his people to be comfortable and happy at all times. The question is, after him are we happy with the inheritors? Even those around the inheritors, are they happy? That’s just it.”

The APC party chairman, Alhaji Balogun-Fulani, who said the party was satisfied with the performance of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in the last four years and assured of credibility of its other candidates in the next general elections. He said achievements of the present administration in the state in all areas of developments were there for all to see.

He highlighted such achievements as job creation, provision of potable water, agricultural development, renovation of general hospitals, and provision of transformers, among others.

Speaking in same vein, the political leader of APC in the state and senator representing Kwara Central senatorial district, Dr Bukola Saraki, said it was members of the APC that laboured and voted for the PDP leaders during their stay together in same party.

Senator Saraki, who described APC members asmembers of Saraki family, said they should be steadfast and support the party to bring about desired change in the country.

The political leader, who said the APC party in the state had delivered on his campaign promises, sought support and votes of the people to ensure second term of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and victory of all candidates of the party.

Saraki, who is the chairman, Senate committee on Ecology and Environment, also said that he and his supporters across the country left the PDP because of their concern for the plight of the Nigeria masses, especially the youths, challenged President Jonathan to point to a project that his administration implemented in Kwara state.

“The last time Kwara benefited from the Federal Government was during the time of the blessed president Umar Yar’Adua when he facilitated the step down electricity transmission at Ganmo.

“This is the reason why Kwarans should vote massively for APC and all its candidates in the coming elections. From the foregoing, it is very clear that PDP does not love the masses,” Saraki said.

He urged APC members to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to enable them exercise their civic right during next month’s elections, adding that they should not only cast their vote but stand to defend such votes.

Echoing his political leader, Governor Ahmed said: “we left APC in the interest of the masses, especially the youths.” He said that his administration had fulfilled all its electoral promises to the people of the state and assured them of more development if reelected.

Dwindling revenue allocation from the federation account notwithstanding, Ahmed said that his government had always pay workers’ salaries on 25th of every month. If his mandate is renewed by the people, he promised to prioritise job and wealth creation through the employment of the youths and granting financial assistance to prospective entrepreneurs as well as security of lives and property.

Kwara state is not really known for post-election violence when compared with some other parts of the country. Thus, observers say since the two leading governorship candidates in the state come from same senatorial district, the issue of post-election violence may not really come up.

The Director General of APC campaign committee, Right Honourable Razak Atunwa, called on members of the party not to be intimidated but stand by their votes to ensure their votes are protected.The PDP leaders on the other hand have enjoined their supporters not to engage in violence and allow peace reign during and after the election, telling them that God chooses who should lead at a particular point in time.