2027: We’re Ready To Welcome Defectors Who Share Our Vision, Our Successful Ilorin Street Rally ‘Heartwarming’-Bolaji Abdulahi

Although, politics is a game of numbers and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kwara State chapter will be willing to welcome defectors from other political parties with open arms, buying into the ideology of the party is however a ‘requisite of admission’ and a mandatory requirement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, has submitted.

While disclosing that aggrieved bigwigs of other political parties are yet to make overtures to the state ADC, some among them may however according to him need to undergo ‘baptism’ and buy into the vision and shared goals of the party and its members before being received into the party.

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 ‘No, they have not reached out to us but if they reach out to us, we will welcome them with open arms that is if they want to join us but there is nothing like us joining them.

 If they realize that we are standing on a higher ideal and they want to join us, we will welcome them but we don’t have the same vision, so, if they want to join us, they’ll be welcomed but they have to play by our rules, we will not play by their rules because the people have seen what they are capable of doing, they represent the yesterday that people have rejected, so, we represent a new form of politics we have a commitment of the kind of politics we want to play, so, if they want to join us  we’ll welcome them because politics is about numbers and that number is addition not subtraction’ he submitted.

Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, a former sports minister, said this while talking to journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com on Wednesday after joining other ADC bigwigs to participate in the street rally held by the Kwara State chapter in Ilorin.

The ADC leaders, members and supporters, who wore customized T-shirt and baseball caps, conveyed to the residents their ‘Credible Alternative’ message via chants, and they displayed banners and placards with varying inscriptions.

 The ADC leaders and members in their hundreds set out some minutes past 10 am from Adeta roundabout navigating through Omoda, Oja-Oba, Ipata Road and Amilegbe Road down to the party’s state secretariat in Fate, where it ended.

The former Sports minister has described the successful street rally as truly heartwarming. .

‘You can see the mammoth crowd. During the planning stage, we were genuinely worried because we do not have the kind of money some political parties will make available to mobilize crowds.

We expected that the turnout will be modest, but we were pleasantly surprised to see thousands of people voluntarily join us in a 13-kilometre walk from Adeta Roundabout to the state secretariat of our party.

Even more remarkable was the fact that nobody dropped out along the way. That level of commitment tells us that people are genuinely looking for an alternative and believe that the ADC represents that alternative’ he said.

Asked to comment on the indirect hints he made while addressing party members and supporters at the state secretariat, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi said he had only asserted that it is only an ADC-controlled government that can change things for the better in the state.

‘I was just saying that there is a place we were coming from and there was a reason for otoge in 2019, so, as people say 2019 was like an exodus, a movement away from Egypt but when we left Egypt 8 years ago and we have realized that we haven’t gotten to the Promised land, after leaving Egypt we are still wandering in the wilderness for 8 years and we realized that we have not reached the desired Promised land since we can never return to Egypt, we must go forth and ensure that we get to the promised land.

 PDP that we are coming from and was rejected in 2019 is the Egypt, APC is the wilderness and ADC is the promised land, so, that’s strictly what I was saying’ he said.

He also welcomed Court of Appeal’s decision that overruled Federal High Court ruling asking INEC to derecognize ADC and four other political parties.

‘Well we are happy that the Appeal court overruled the judgment of the high court while I will describe it as judicial rascality which means that we were right all along but Peter lifu was behaving like a criminal because when the higher court says ‘don’t proceed’ and you disobey a superior court, it is wrong.  Hierarchy exists and doing what he had done makes someone a criminal, so, we are glad that the appeal court has overruled high court but we are not going to roll out the drums and start celebrating for doing the right thing because what they did was the right thing, so, we remain cautiously delighted’ he submitted.

Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi also asserted that members of the party across the country are in upbeat mood while presenting Hon Zakari Mohammed’s value proposition and submitting that he is a uniquely qualified guber candidate.

Hon Zakari Mohammed is the Kwara State ADC gubernatorial candidate.

‘Incidentally, our guber candidate and that of the APC are from the same local government, so, the people of Kwara North know who is a better candidate.   They know who is the best candidate in terms of experience and in terms of the political party they belong to and in terms of pedigree, how can we compare the requisite and experience that Zakari Mohammed has with the experience of the young man whose highest qualification is being the Speaker of the House of Assembly?

So, the people of Kwara North know what they’ve been clamoring for over the years, and if they want to choose between the two, they’ll choose Zakari because he is the best man for the job.

At the national level and at the state level, we are confident that ADC will win because our party is the only party that has clarity in what we will do for the people, we have seen the APC they said there is renewed hope agenda what does that even mean?

 Ask any of them the meaning of renewed hope agenda they don’t know it because it is just a slogan and is it PDP that they will vote for? They don’t even have a presidential candidate, so, the only party to vote for today is the African democratic Congress’ he added.

The former sports minister also said the party’s decision to allow Kwara North to produce its guber candidate is sensible and fair.

‘It is politically wrong and morally unjust for someone from Ilorin to govern the state for eight years and have another person from the same local government as his successor.

We want to build a Kwara where every part of the state feels a sense of belonging. Unity can only be sustained on the foundation of justice, and justice requires that the next governor should emerge from Kwara North’ he added.

Addressing the party members and supporters, the state ADC chairman, Hon Babatunde Mohammed urged party members to focus on upcoming elections and ensure that the party secure electoral victory.

Also speaking, Kwara South ADC senate candidate, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo mocked the state APC infighting submitting that whilst the party continues to battle with this, ADC will continue to grow in leaps and bounds.

He urged the aggrieved APC members to join the ADC asserting that God is in support of the party while asking party members to return to their respective wards and begin to mobilize support for ADC candidates ahead of the 2027 general election-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you