How would you described the last election in your senatorial district?

We had no problem in the senatorial district during the last election because we were second to Kwara Central in the entire state in terms of votes we delivered. There is no position we lose and there has been no assignment given by the party that we have not delivered. There were no fracas, invitation of the police nor even court cases. We all voted as one family. We have said then that the PDP members in our district are our family members and they will vote for the APC during the election, which they did and hence the peaceful atmosphere. We have not heard about anybody going to court to challenge the victory from the district and if any one does, the result is going to be failure. So we thank God and the leader, Senator Bukola Saraki, who worked in line with the candidates we presented for various elective positions.

What can you described as the success of the APC?

It is that during election, it is imperative to present acceptable candidates like it was done by the leader in our district. our senatorial candidate, Senator Shaaba Lafiagi was re-elected on the platform of performance in his tenure. Same with our House of Representative Candidate, Honourable Aliyu Bahago, who won an historic third term seat in the state. There is no local government votes that can be queried by the PDP in any court of law because it was overwhelming for the APC. The card reader assisted very much in this regard.

What can you described as your greatest challenge during the last election? 

I cannot really call it a challenge and that is the use of card readers, which we are using for the first time. In other places, the voters where proportionately more than the devices and in some places still, there were outright failure. But despite that we came out and stayed to vote and we won as deserved. Where we recorded about 350, they were having only about 4 votes. But we are appealing to INEC to continue to improve and increase the card reader issue.

With the trend in the state, the polity seems to be drifting into a one party state?

There is no one party state to me, agreed there is the opportunity for the party to accept decampees but not those that will destabilise the party. So I will appeal to the APC leadership to welcome those among them that are of good conduct and not the other way round because that was how they de-stabilised the NPN then in the state in 1979. So those coming should wait for their turn. There is no state with one party system but only 100 percent like we have it in Kwara for the elective positions and the electorates. That has been the trend.

What do you think the APC should take away from the last polls?

Firstly, without even the swearing in, there was calm. So there should be this desire to maintain that status and sustain the atmosphere in preparation for good governance and we see that the state government under the APC is doing just that with its clampdown on security issues in the state.

Now that the APC has formed the government, what do you think should be its priorities?

I think they should look at the issue of unemployment, appointment and infrastructural development of the rural areas in the areas of water, electricity and roads.

The issue of the senate president is now at the front burner, what is your take on the issue?

The issue is that Kwara deserves it on whatever criteria would be used to determine it because the state delivered for the party 100 percent of elective positions. The other issue is that the CPC blocs in the APC has been compensated, same with the ACN and among those that are yet to be compensated is the bloc of the new PDP that later joined the party. And there is no doubt about the leadership qualities of Senator Bukola Saraki going for his past antecedents like his performance as the Governor's Forum Chairman, removing the lid off the fuel subsidy as a first time senator and others. So we appeal to the entire leadership of the APC without castigating anyone of them on this issue to do the needful and give it to Kwara State through Bukola Saraki.

How do you think the party can respond to the challenge of leadership this time around?

The party is very ready and always proactive in most of its decisions and this will not be any different. And it boils down to purposeful and quality leadership that will not even give room for opposition in the first place, which I am confident that they will do.

As the senatorial chairman of Kwara North, what are your plans for the party's continued dominance in your district?

Those that were there before came to limelight through our structure. Look at Hon Iliasu Ibrahim for instance, the leader appealed to us on his behalf to vote for him and he turned his back on the structure that brought him in. He would not even have won in his polling unit. But the appeal is for those coming to up the scale of governance and get closer to the people than before instead of waiting for another election. So we will continue to interface and interact with them in all their social functions and strengthened the bond of our relationship.