Saraki hosts Mustapha, Baba Giya Kolo, supporters in Ilorin

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has hosted the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Saliu Mustapha, and the PDP Kwara North senatorial candidate, Dr. Baba Giya Kolo, alongside their supporters, at his residence in Ilorin.

Saraki welcomed Mustapha, who recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as Giya Kolo, describing their decision to join the PDP and commitment to the party as a courageous step toward rebuilding, developing and advancing Kwara State.

According to his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, Saraki appreciated the courage of the two leaders and their supporters and urged PDP members across the state to embrace one another and work together as one family.

He also called on party members to put aside past divisions and accommodate one another across wards and Local Government Areas, stressing that “there is no more G1 or G2; today, we belong to one big family and should operate as such.”

Saraki, in a light-hearted remark, said Mustapha’s ability to recognise members of the PDP structure by their faces and names showed that he had, indeed, had a good history with the party’s structure. He therefore urged members to remain focused on winning the 2027 elections.

He described the APC under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the PDP’s common political opponent, urging members to work collectively toward defeating the ruling party. Saraki also stressed the importance of power-sharing and inclusive governance, charging PDP candidates to remember the sacrifices of the people and ensure that the dividends of democracy reach all sections of the state if elected.

Mustapha, who is the Turaki Ngeri of Ilorin, expressed appreciation to the PDP family under Saraki’s leadership, the State Working Committee led by Hon. Issa Adamu Bawa and party elders across the state for the warm reception accorded him and his supporters. He reiterated his readiness to work with the party to bring an end to what he described as “the dictatorship of a monster who believes Kwara is his personal property estate.”

He further called on PDP members to unite against what he described as the governor’s “shenanigans,” stressing that the people must reclaim their political power. According to him, the objective should be to establish a political culture in which whoever occupies the seat of power in Kwara understands that, “the power belongs to the people.”