Get Guardian on Google***PDP candidate, Popoola, cites insecurity, poor infrastructure as reasons for defection
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Kwara South, Saheed Popoola, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being insensitive to residents’ plight, particularly the worsening insecurity and poor infrastructure in the district.
Popoola, a former chairman of Offa Local Government Area, said his dissatisfaction with the APC’s handling of insecurity and other challenges informed his decision to defect to the PDP to pursue his senatorial ambition.
He said his concern for the people of Kwara South, where kidnappings had forced several residents to flee their communities for safety, influenced his decision to join the opposition party.
Popoola spoke on Friday during an appearance on the Kwara State Correspondents’ Chapel’s News Keg platform, which hosts politicians, public officials and captains of industry to discuss national and state issues.
He also criticised the state government, accusing it of abandoning its governing responsibilities to react to statements and actions by the PDP and its leader, former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Explaining his defection, Popoola said the APC had lost touch with the needs of ordinary Nigerians, particularly residents of Kwara South.
“I defected to the PDP because the APC and the actors there do not have the interest of the masses at heart. During the era of the PDP, insecurity was not famous like now. That was why I defected,” he said.
Outlining his agenda for the Senate, he identified security, infrastructure and agriculture as his major priorities, promising to work with other lawmakers to address the challenges confronting the district if elected.
“I want to position myself as the messiah of Kwara South,” he declared.
He said he would lobby influential lawmakers in the Senate to support efforts to tackle insecurity and attract infrastructure projects to Kwara South.
The former local government chairman also blamed poor road conditions for worsening insecurity, arguing that dilapidated roads made it easier for kidnappers to operate and restricted security operations across the district.
As part of his proposed security strategy, Popoola promised to establish a neighbourhood watch involving Fulani and Yoruba residents, arguing that local people understood the terrain better than soldiers deployed to maintain peace and order.
“If, by God’s grace, I am elected as senator, I will lobby those that matter in the Red Chamber to alleviate insecurity as well as bring desirable infrastructure to my zone,” he promised.
On agriculture, he acknowledged that insecurity remained a major obstacle to farming, saying many residents had abandoned their farmlands and ancestral communities because of persistent attacks.
He argued that meaningful agricultural development would remain difficult without adequate security to protect farmers and their livelihoods.
Popoola also warned residents against alleged attempts by political actors to influence their choices through financial inducements ahead of the elections.
He alleged that APC members and their agents were moving around with money to persuade voters, urging residents not to compromise their political choices for financial rewards.
“The APC and their agents have been carrying money about to convince you. Please, refuse to be carried away.
“Many of them are poor intellectually; many of them are poor in developmental ideas. The only thing they have is money, and they rely on it to get you. Tell them, show them that money is not everything,” he said.
On his recent admission that he had linked Saraki to the Offa bank robbery, Popoola said he stood by his decision to apologise to the former Senate President, describing it as necessary to clear his conscience.
He said he owed Saraki an apology for offending him, adding that he was grateful to be alive to make amends.
“I owe Saraki an apology and I must render it because I offended him as my leader. I thank God that I am alive today to apologise,” he said.
The former Offa council chairman also praised members of the State Correspondents’ Chapel, describing them as the brightest among their counterparts across the country.
