2023: Campaign on Ideas, Projects, not Regional Division, Abdullateef Charges Politicians
By Kaosara Oladimeji Olayemi
Ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial elections in Kwara, youth advocate, Ibraheem Abdullateef on Saturday charged the political parties to engage the electorates on their plans for the state rather than heating up the polity with divisive statements.
Ibraheem Abdullateef, Kwara Central Representative in the Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP) made this call in a trending interview with Vanguard Newspapers, on the issues surrounding the elections in the state.
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According to media reports, opposition party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned their gubernatorial ticket to Kwara North, throwing up a fierce battle between eventual candidate and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq from Kwara Central next year.
Reacting to the development, Abdullateef feared divisive campaign rhetoric may create unnecessary tension and division in the state if not checked, charging the leaders to rein in politicians before the electioneering take shape properly.
“I do really think the traditional and religious leaders in the state need to caution members of any party feeling they need to weave this story of North Vs Central, before they succeed in planting the seed of division in the state with their campaign rhetorics of alienation, subjugation, and all the high-sounding nonsense, just to gain power,” he remarked.
“Politics come in seasons but the havoc it wreaks when played dirty never leaves the people. The game of power is undefined, but it is not boundless.”
Abdullateef said the politicians should engage with the people on their plans for the state as dictated by democracy, noting that it suffices to garner genuine support.
“Whoever wants to lead Kwara in 2023 should just come out to trade development ideas with other candidates. No one born of a man will be elected on the strength of zonal agitation or rhetoric of party crises.
He urged politicians to prioritise the peace and development of the state over inordinate personal ambitions.
“You see, a truly beloved political party does not need to stoke tribal hatred to win. Whenever you start such politics, it never ends, or ends well. It is how some of our grandfathers began and sustained the narratives of South Vs North at the federal level, putting the Igbos against the Hausa/Fulani till today. Kwara won’t toe that path.”
