Kwara 2019: The birth of Modern revolution in Nigeria

By Isiaq Muh'd Jamiu Ajibade
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
January, 2018


It's crystal clear due to the political manoeuvring and different politiking that have envisaged the terrain of Kwara State that 2019 will surely be a memorable year in the history of the state. Since the first democratic election that occurred in Kwara State in the second republic, there has never been a coalition of opposition parties as it is being witnessed today. All political affairs in the state, as to who will be governor, senator, reps, chairman, and councilor is all coming from Saraki's directive. Today in Kwara State, Mandate Office (Saraki constituency office) is popular than the governments house. In this case, Mandate office is for the emperor (Saraki), while the government house is for the retinues.



*The rise of Saraki dynasty*

Abubakar Olusola Saraki (The Founder)

Everything about the decades-rule of Saraki family begins with Saraki's father, Abubakar Olusola Saraki (17 May 1933 – 14 November 2012). Olusola Saraki was a Nigerian politician, who nhh
Nigerian Second Republic (1979-1983).

In 1998, Olusola Saraki became a National Leader and member of the Board of Trustees of the All People's Party (APP), contributing to the APP success in Kwara and Kogi States. He assisted Mohammed Alabi Lawal in becoming Governor of Kwara State. When former governor Lawal was seeking 2nd term during the election in 2003, Olusola Saraki creates an allegation that Lawal is planning to dethrone the Emir of Ilorin and put in a Yoruba Oba, hence, playing a psychological battle with Lawal. Saraki later decamped to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and in the 2003 elections supported his son
Bukola Saraki as candidate for governor of Kwara State in April 2003, and his daughter Gbemisola R. Saraki as senator for Kwara State Central in April 2003.

*Gbemisola R. Saraki* was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 1999 under the umbrella of the All People's Party (APP). She ran under the umbrella of the People's Democratic Party, (PDP) for the senate in 2003 and won the seat, representing the Central Senatorial District of Kwara State. She re-contested in 2007 and won again, serving as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for eight years. 2003-2011. She contested and lost the governorship seat in 2011 under the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria ( a party formed by her father) to the incumbent Gov. Ahmed. She also lost at the PDP primaries in 2015.

*Abubakar Bukola Saraki* (born December 19, 1962) is a Nigerian politician who has been the President of Nigeria's Senate since 2015. Previously he was the Governor of
Kwara State under the platform of the PDP (People's Democratic Party) from 2003 to 2011. He was first elected to the Senate in April 2011, also under the platform of the PDP, representing the Kwara Central senatorial district, and then re-elected in the March 2015 election, under the platform of the APC (All Progressive Congress). He decamped back to his former party, the People's Democratic Party, on the 31st of July 2018. Saraki declared his intention to vie for the Office of President of Nigeria, under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Saraki today is the political godfather of all the elected office holders in the state.


Other illegitimate members of Saraki political family includes Gov Ahmed, Sen lafiagi, Rafiu Ibrahim, Former APC national publicity secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullah, PDP gubernatorial candidate Rasak Atunwa, all current national assembly members from Kwara State and all house of assembly members.


*OPPOSITION TO SARAKI*


Opposition to Saraki's rule begins in full force during the 2011 election, where Saraki's protege and current Gov. Ahmed contests under Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Dele Belgore of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and Oba Abdulraheem of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Gov. Ahmed later won the election that was marked with irregularities, and also won a second term in 2015 polls.

Furthermore, during the turbulence recession in 2016 and the failure of the government to pay workers salaries, the angry workers of the civil servants-state go on rampage and start stoning Saraki and Gov. Ahmed at the Eid festivals. The people's displeasure was highly shown and their readiness to change the status quo is embroidered in their hearts.



The Minister of Information Lai Mohammed alleged that 40 years of the over five decades of the creation of Kwara, the Saraki family had cornered the state’s commonwealth.
‘‘The main issues here have to do with how our state has been governed in the past 50 years, 40 of which have been dominated by a single family.



‘‘What has happened to the commonwealth, which has been cornered by a single dynasty at the expense of the people.

‘‘Where are the roads and other infrastructure to justify the huge resources that have accrued to the state?

‘‘If you follow a path for so long, and it leads you nowhere, won’t you try another path? These are the issues,’’ he said.


Saraki's Puppets in the State

Saraki machineries in Kwara today includes the Governor, 2 serving senators, 5 house of reps members, 24 State House lawmakers, all the 16 local government chairmen, more than 150 serving councilors, and other politicians not in Saraki's favour. All these people were elected under APC, but follow Saraki, their paymasters to PDP.


*The Rise of Otoge movement*

Surprisingly, the OTOGE campaign begins from a radio programmes being run by APC across radio stations in the state, especially Sobi Fm and Harmony Fm. This is being led byforner PDP chairman, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, who resigned and moved to APC to avoid Saraki in totality when Saraki moved to PDP in the mid last year. The OTOGE chants now run across various media in the state and deeply rooted in thepeople's heart, billboards, vehicles, shirts, etc now carry the OTOGE emblem. The campaign slogan of APC is mostly the first thing a visitor will hear entering the state. The vortex of APC campaign today could be said to be a new dawn as people desire the administration and new administrators.

The OTOGE slogan follows the unacceptability of the PDP slogan in 2015, which is freedom for Kwara. The slogan is not well received among the large uneducated electorates, and this also brought the failure to delivered Kwara in 2015.
Consequently, the united oppossition party (APC) creates OTOGE in the local Yoruba dialect, which as gained momentum the state.

Isiaq Muh'd Jamiu Ajibade
easyhacq@gmail.com

(Source: Wikipedia, Wikileaks)

Can you please make a comprehensive historical research on this topic.