In its continued efforts to woo more supports preparatory to the 2015 general election, the major opposition party in the country, and the marketing train of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last week stormed Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, to woo Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state into its fold. Governor Ahmed, as you know, is one of the seven break away governors of the PDP now New PDP.

The marketing train of the APC led by its Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, included Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former head of state, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), former speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, former governor of Edo State, Chief John Oyegun, former governor of Benue State, Chief George Akume, former minister of Works, Alhaji Hassan Lawan, Interim National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Muhammed among others.

Prior to the arrival of the APC train at the Government House, venue of the meeting, stakeholders in the PDP, including sixteen elected council chairmen, elders of the party, members of the state House of Assembly led by its speaker, Hon. Abdulrasaq Atunwa, members of the state working committee of the party led by the state chairman, Alhaji Isola Balogun-Fulani, were already seated in expectation of their guests.

On his part, Ahmed, his deputy, Elder Peter Kisra and Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Isiaka Gold, were also in attendance to receive the APC leaders at the venue of the meeting.

Speaking just before the arrival of the APC leaders, the state chairman, Balogun-Fulani said "We are 100 per cent PDP in Kwara state. The APC leaders that are coming, we are to listen to them; we are one family for a long time created by our political leader, the late Dr. Olusola Saraki. And we are structured and that is why our members in the state House of Assembly, commissioners, chairmen, councillors are all PDP."

According to him, "Though there are certain things going on at the national level, we hope it will be resolved and if not, we will discuss. We will go en block; we will not be dictated to. We are not going to APC. We are still in PDP."

But the APC chair, Akande who told the gathering their mission to Kwara said , "I am at home and I don't think I should have to perambulate too much except to say that we come to Kwara State through the governor to invite first, all of you to our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and second, we are not limiting our visits to the members of the new PDP which they call the G-7; we are extending the visit to all the other governors and all the other members of the PDP because we are starting a revolution that will make the country a country of the progressives.

"And that is what we have started just about a week ago and we hope to use Kwara State as a clapperboard to enter the heart of every Nigerian that it is better to live for the people," he said.

Also corroborating Akande's views, the former governor of Lagos State and one of the strong leaders of APC, Tinubu said, "To the people of Kwara State, I will say we have brought joy; joy for the change. We brought hope and we brought friendship. And bringing that is to introduce to you again formally, the APC- the appropriate name, the appropriate movement and the appropriate political platform, for the current situation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria," he said.

Continuing, he said, "Kwara State is a beautiful bride. But go and powder yourselves very well, freshen up with nice perfume and come and marry us. With that, we will have stability and progress. That is our proposal and that is why we are here; we want that beautiful bride to be ours, so that you all join hands together and rescue Nigeria from drifting.

"This is the time to do just that and if we miss this boat, our grandchildren will give us a poke in the nose. They will curse us, God forbid. We are capable of bailing Nigeria out of poverty. We have very progressive platforms in Lagos and Oyo States. Go there and see what we are saying and if you collaborate, agriculture will become revived; farmers will be given incentive and industries will be established in Kwara."

In his comment, former head of state, Buhari said, "The attempt for this movement started in 2005. We realised that the ruling party is so amorphous; with none of the opposition parties in critical zones could affect a change. It became absolutely necessary for all the representatives of these parties at the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly and even the local governments to come together and balance the equation. Another sacrifice began by the parties that have come together," he said.
After the APC leaders had spoken on their mission to the state, the PDP stakeholders also reacted to the mission and on how they felt about the invitation of the APC.

The state lawmakers represented by the Speaker, Atunwa said, "It is indeed refreshing to see these titans of Nigerian politics from all walks of life, various ethnicities, different age group, diverse political backgrounds come together to pursue a common goal and development of our dear nation Nigeria.

"In Kwara state today, that is precisely what we practice. We see ourselves as one people. We see ourselves as our brother's keepers. That is why there is great harmony not only in the various parts of government but also between the executive and the legislature.

"What is also unique in Kwara is that we have a unique political structure. In the state today, the one man that commands mother of votes; the one man that will deliver Kwara State in its entirety is Senator Bukola Saraki. Before you came to Kwara, if I knew that is what you have come to do, I would have told you to sit at home. You only need one vote of Dr. Bukola Saraki. Once he speaks, the entire Kwara has spoken," he said.

The chairman, Association of Local Government Council Chairmen in the state, Dr. Mufutau Yahaya, and chairman, Elders council of PDP, Pa Usman Mustapha, agreed with the view of the speaker that the state has a monolithic structure and leadership that they follow and that such was a major factor if at all the PDP in the state would join the APC preparatory to the 2015 elections.

On a final note, Governor Ahmed, in his response, said members of the ruling PDP in the state would not go against the political structure and leadership built over 40 years by the late former Senate Leader, the late Dr. Saraki, if at all they would leave the PDP.

He said the people of the state have a political structure formed over 40 years ago with hard work, zeal  and commitment by the late Saraki, adding that the structure had  consistently produced elected political leaders like governors, members of state and national assemblies, council chairmen and councilors, among others.

"The structure had also produced an opposition government while in the ruling government by moving all the members of the structure into the defunct UPN government in the 1983 general election won by Chief Cornelius Adebayo," he added. The governor explained that the structure had formed government under NPN, APP, SDP and PDP in the state, adding that they have a common leader in Saraki.

Ahmed, while hoping that the current crisis at the national level of the PDP would be resolved, expressed optimism that national interest would override self interest in the matter at the end of the day to pave the way for growth and development of the nation. He told the APC delegation that a decision would be made after consultation with the leadership of the structure and confident that mistake would not be made.

He commended the APC leaders for pursuing national interest rather than self interest, more so with the high calibre personalities that had come to woo the Kwara PDP. 

On the whole, the marketing train of the APC leaders had come to Kwara and gone, with a clear mission statement, the fact remains that, the kind of politics being played in the state is sort of different from other states of the federation in the sense that, the political permutations in the state still revolves around the Saraki dynasty, which determines who gets what as well as where the pendulum would swing as far politics of the state and its interest on the national front is concerned.