Kwara 2027: APC Can’t Use Offa Tragedy To Escape Defeat – PDP
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara State Chapter, has dismissed the latest outburst by the All Progressives Congress (APC) against former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and the PDP candidate for Kwara South Senatorial District, Hon. Saheed Popoola, describing it as another desperate attempt to weaponise a painful chapter in Offa’s history for cheap political advantage.
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he PDP, in a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, said Prince Saheed Popoola’s confession and apology to Dr Saraki have punctured the APC’s and AbdulRazaqs years of political propaganda around the Offa robbery, exposed how the tragedy was manipulated to tarnish Saraki’s image and turn the people of Offa against him, noting that the APC’s renewed attacks on Popoola are nothing but the frustration of a party whose packs of carefuly constructed propaganda are beginning to collapse.
The PDP said: “The 2018 Offa robbery was a tragic incident that claimed 33 precious lives and left families and communities with enduring pain. No responsible political party should trivialise such a tragedy, exploit the emotions of bereaved families or turn the memory of innocent victims into an instrument of electoral propaganda.
“However, the Kwara APC and Governor AbdulRazaq must understand that their problem is no longer Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki but the people of Kwara, whom they have neglected for over seven years, subjecting them to economic hardship, insecurity, killings, kidnappings and untold deprivation since 2019. No amount of propaganda, whether centred on the Offa robbery or any other politically convenient controversy, can save the APC and Governor AbdulRazaq from the looming electoral rejection awaiting them in 2027.
“It is quite unfortunate that the Kwara APC has chosen to ignore the embarrassment arising from its own confusion and contradictions surrounding the Offa robbery controversy. Nigerians were recently informed that the Kwara State Government had withdrawn 18 of the earlier 20 counts instituted against Dr Saraki and others. Rather than honestly addressing this development and explaining its implications, the APC, at the behest of Governor AbdulRazaq, has resorted to another round of political drama.
“If the APC is genuinely interested in justice, it should recognise that Prince Saheed Popoola, a respected son of Offa and a key figure in the O To Ge struggle, is in a position to speak about the political dynamics surrounding the robbery incident. His public confession and apology to Dr Saraki have punctured the years of lies and attacks on the personality of Dr Saraki who has no nexus with the robbery.
“We wish to remind the APC in Kwara that its belief that repeatedly recycling accusations surrounding the Offa robbery against Dr Saraki will erase the people’s assessment of its performance in government or save it from electoral rejection in 2027 is nothing but an exercise in futility.
“The people of Offa and the entire Kwara South are more concerned about the condition of their roads, economic opportunities, killing of Oro College of Education, Oke ode school of nursing, healthcare, education, employment and, above all, the security and safety of their communities than the APC’s endless political hostility towards the Saraki political family.
“Instead of spending its energy organising press conferences and launching attacks against Dr Saraki, the APC should explain what it has done with the enormous resources available to the state since 2019 and why many communities continue to demand meaningful development. The people of Kwara are not politically naïve. They understand the difference between governance and propaganda, between genuine concern for victims and the exploitation of tragedy for electoral advantage.
“We therefore advise the Kwara APC to stop hiding behind the unfortunate Offa robbery tragedy and face the realities of its declining public confidence. No amount of political blackmail, intimidation or recycled allegations can substitute for good governance and 2027 election will be decided by the people on the basis of performance, credibility and the promise of a better Kwara, not by the volume of political attacks launched against the opposition.”
