Hammed      Shittu in Ilorin
Ahead of 2023 elections, former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has tasked the newly inaugurated presidential and state campaign councils of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Kwara State  to work day and night towards reclaiming political power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s elections in the state. The former governor of Kwara State also called on PDP members to move into their various polling units across the state to canvas for votes which would translate to victory in 2023.

About 850 members PDP campaign councils were inaugurated on Thursday at Mandate House, Adewole  Area, Ilorin, in preparations for the 2023 elections. Speaking at the event in Ilorin yesterday, Saraki said that, “There is no more time at hand and you must move into your polling booths and canvass for votes for the elections.

“The era of winning elections by staying outside has gone and you must take time now to visit your polling booths because at least 1,000 people have registered in your polling booths and you must make sure to take more than half of the registered voters available.” The PDP party leader, who challenged party members to capture their individual polling booths in all the 193 wards, said that they stood a chance of getting adequate rewards after the general elections. He said that, “I pray God to give you members of the campaign council the strength to deliver. Millions of people are relying on you. We should all know that every member of the party is a member of the campaign council. 


“I want to assure you that every member would get deserving benefits for work done to win in each polling booth. Go and deliver your booths and leave the rest for God and I.  “Start house-to-house, door-to-door, room-to-room, place-to-place campaigns because everybody is important.”
 
He canvassed votes for the PDP in the next year general elections, saying that people should vote for the party to ensure return of good old times of PDP without hardship.
 
Saraki, who charged youths in the country not to be deceived again by politicians, said that all forms of lies were peddled against him, like that of the Offa bank robbery in order to score political points.
 
“There were all sorts of lies and propaganda against my person by members of the ruling party during the 2019 general elections, all aimed to deceive Nigerian youth. There’s nothing again. Thanks to the Almighty Allah, truth will always emerge at the end of the day. 
 
“Every day now, we’re hearing revelations. They say Oga did Offa robbery, Alhamdulilah, we’re here. They say Oga carry allocation, we’re still here. They say Oga bring plane, and I’m still bringing plane. 
 
“This is your time to rewrite history, especially you the youth. Let’s vote for a party that cares for the people and vote for PDP and all its candidates in the 2023 general elections,” he said.
 
Saraki also appreciated the PDP supporters in the state for their steadfastness, saying that their loyalty would not be in vain.
 
“I thank you for your patience and loyalty. Majority of you do not lose hope despite the temptations or approaches made to you or hardship you suffered. You stood firm. And those that came back too, I thank you. Some of you are already smelling victory. I appreciate you.”
 
Also speaking, the chairman of the campaign council, Professor Ali Ahmad, PDP chairman in the state, Alhaji Babatunde Mohammed, said that the party had learnt its lesson and prepared to take over political power in both the state and the country.
 
“We’ve learnt our lesson in 2019 and we’re going to remedy it all in 2023 to ensure landslide victory for all our candidates. I, therefore, charge all party members across the wards to ensure victory for all candidates in the general elections.”
 
Responding, the Director General of the PDP Campaign Council in the state, Prof. Ahmad Ali, assured the PDP leader, Saraki, other leaders and members of the party that, the members of the campaign council would work day and night so as to win the next year general elections in the state and at the national level for PDP. 
 
He however solicited the support of all the members in the task ahead in order to move the party forward and to win the elections.