Twenty-four hours to Saturday’s governorship election, the gubernatorial candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Kwara State, Waziri Yakubu Gobir has stepped down for the incumbent Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who is also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.
Gobir announced his resolve to step down for AbdulRazaq during a visit to the Government House, Ilorin on Thursday.
In a statement, he later issued and personally signed, Gobir said:” It has been my utmost joy initiating an issue-based campaign that has brought immense hope and promises of a better future to our beloved state, particularly to young people. It has been a delight dialoguing with you and charting paths for a more robust and harmonious State. It has been humbling to receive your unequivocal support and be entrusted with your battered trusts, broken dreams and resilient spirits.
“It has been energising standing by your side, reaching for a better Kwara — a dream that is within reach but one that will be ushered in by another other than myself.
“My fellow Kwarans, in the last leg of this election trail, it has become apparent that the best way to achieve the goal we have before us is to forge alliances and combine ideologies. To this end, the Young Progressives Party hereby adopts the incumbent Governor and gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
“I assure you that this decision is not one that was made lightly. It was made after weeks of deliberation and a final concession that the incumbent Governor consider some of the policies outlined in my manifesto (the State of Kwara) alongside his equally well-intentioned 10-year Sustainable Development Plan (2021-2030). This ensures that, although I will be conceding my place in the gubernatorial race, the action plan that I feel addresses the peculiar needs of some 2,764 communities, 193 wards and 16 Local Government Areas in Kwara gets fused into the implementation of the Governor’s Development Plan.
“Further to this agreement, it is understood that the Governor, upon winning the election, will form a government that further accommodates allies, including members of our own party.
“My fellow Kwarans, a new dawn is upon us, not just for our beloved state but for our nation as well. With our support for Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the President-rlect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are convinced that Nigeria is undoubtedly about to commence a journey of Renewed Hope.”
