Kwara State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Hakeem Oladimeji Lawal has indicated that the “Otege” (Enough is enough) campaign that ushered the current government in the state was not for pecuniary benefits, nor for hatred against any personality.
The SDP flag bearer who is a son of former Governor Mohammed Lawal however regretted that the state is nothing near what the proponents desire for the people.
He, therefore, charged youths to take charge of the Kwara polity and drive the developmental adventure of the state.
The candidate made the remark in Ilorin, the state capital at a meeting with the executives of the Youth and Student Coalition for Hakeem Lawal (YOSCOHOL), a group of young people backing his aspiration.
He applauded the leadership of the group for its intellectual contribution to the liberation of the state. He said: “We all were part of the Otoge struggle because we were convinced that Kwara deserved better than it was getting, we did all we did not because of personal pecuniary benefits or hatred for personality.
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“Now, we have achieved Otoge, we are yet to deliver a Kwara of our dreams, that is the reason why we are not resting on our oars, not minding the fact we have made relative movements away from the past, yet we are nothing near where we desire and deserve.
“If we must achieve the Kwara of our dreams, the youth must take over the wheels at all levels, the time to shy away from being partisan and being involved in the leadership selection process is long gone.
“We must identify and unleash our numerical strength, intellectual depth and social net worth towards being the change we want to see.”
Earlier, the convener of the group, Abdulrahman Mohammed vowed that the group will travel to the nooks and crannies of the state, to canvas for support for the SDP candidate.
Lawal, who is a former student union leader during his days in Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin said: “YOSCOHOL is a conglomeration of youth and Students who are indigenes and non-indigenes alike. Having gone through the citation of all the leading governorship hopefuls in Kwara, we’ve come to the realization that Alh. Hakeem Oladimeji Lawal is the candidate that can conveniently fly the flag of the youth comprising of indigenes and residents alike.
“Therefore, we’re here to assure you of our partnership and unflinching support towards the actualization of the Kwara of our dreams, which prioritizes the interest of the general populace over and above sectional and selfish interest.
“We know that the youth holds the ace to deciding the fate of who we hire as our next set of leaders and we’re sure the youth will queue behind one of their own, who is undoubtedly the most qualified to tackle the challenges of the day and lead us into a future we all can be proud of.”
