The Deputy Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP in Kwara State, Reverend Joshua Olakunle is a clergyman, and a teacher, who hails from Oke-Ayo in Ora District of IFELODUN Local Government. In this interview with journalists, he explains the uniqueness of the SDP and the preparedness of the party to unseat the incumbent.
You were a part of the movement that enthrones the present governor in Kwara State and you are also part of the movement planning his removal. Can you explain what happened?
I was actually part of the struggle. In fact, I contested the House of Rep’s ticket. After the election, the governor sidelined most of us who struggled for his enthronement. He carried on with a lone style. He deviated from our plans and policies and after a while, our party chieftains pulled and joined the Social Democratic Party, SDP. I wasn’t around when the decision to join the SDP was taken, but as soon as I heard about the movement I told them to register my name and here we are today, the party is waxing stronger to the glory of God.
What makes you think that the SDP is the best option for Kwara now?
We have tried PDP and they disappointed the state. We ventured into APC and we discovered it is even worse than the PDP. Abdulrazaq has not commissioned a single project since he emerged as governor. Is it security or infrastructure, the state is lagging behind. All our roads are dilapidated, no jobs for the youths, no meaningful development in the state since Abdulrazaq’s emergence.
I want you to please move round in Ilorin and see bad roads all over the state capital. Go to Coca cola road to Asa Dam and see dangerous potholes. The Tanke road he started is still on going and I know he won’t finish it before he leaves office in 2023. Even he has abandoned the project is doing in my Local Government.
So, if you struggle for a particular cause and the person leading you is not implementing your policies, the best thing is to pulled out and that is why we are championing the cause of SDP. And by the grace of God we will use the SDP to restore the glory of the state. Ours is going to be an all-inclusive government. We will carry everybody along. We will develop the state beyond expectation and our people will never regret supporting us.
SDP is relatively new, how do you think you can unseat a ruling party?
We did it in the past and we are going to do it again. Perhaps, SDP is not new. It has been in existence for so long. It’s the only consistence party in Nigeria. Shaba Lafiagi was a governor under SDP and he performed well if not problem of godfatherism. But in SDP, we don’t have godfather, God is our father and the masses of the state will always be our strength. We are able to unseat the incumbent governor in 2019 and so we will unseat the clueless government of Abdulrazaq. It happened in Osun and we will give APC the Osun treatment by the special grace of God.
