By Dapo Williams

In the word of the former apartheid leader and former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, he said, “Thus shall we live, because we will have created a society which recognises that all people are born equal, with each entitled in equal measure to life, liberty, prosperity, human rights and good governance.” And without sounding immodest, the governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq led government in the state is assiduously providing a good and all-encompassing leadership for all and sundry, without prejudice, sentiment or discrimination of any political colouration. Since 2019, his government had always prioritised the welfare of all Kwarans, and it is evident that he will leave Kwara State better than he met it. Just as they say that there is no success without successor, governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq must by now be having his successorship plan because a journey of thousand years they say starts with a step. With every spirit of fairness, the successorship plan must be observed with equity and equality as we’re not more Kwaran than the other. Again, we must also be informed that justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are. And if fairness does not mean that everyone gets the same, fairness should mean that everyone gets what they need because the state is our common patrimony where all animals should be equal. And to further harmonise the state, every senatorial district must have an inclusive contribution to the development of the state.

In Kwara North, there are phalanx of eminently qualified individuals who have what it takes to govern the state, both politically and administratively. The people of Kwara North in successive administrations in the state have always demonstrated capacity in every given position, and it will be tantamount to political ostracization if Kwara North is again edged out in the executive scheme of things. For us to act in the letters of the State of Harmony is to unanimously allow power rotation to Kwara north in the next political dispensation. By so doing, the harmonious working relationship across all the three senatorial districts will be further entrenched and strengthened. It is therefore a great onus on the political, opinion and religious leaders to forge a common front and allow power shift to the North, and no district should be deprived or underrepresented. In a state where we all preach and sermonise peace and harmony, a particular zone should not be neglected or be seen to play the second fiddle. Kwara North is endowed with human resources to bring out the state out of administrative woods and economic doldrums because government is a continuum and this present government can not retool all the administrative incongruities. Therefore, the succeeding government will take on the baton of leadership by focusing on further advancement of holistic development.

Equitably speaking, all the political parties come 2027 should reach a compromise and pick their governorship candidates from Kwara north. Allowing power rotation to the North will as well bring out the inherent giant of that senatorial district. The regional peculiarity of Kwara North must be harnessed by ensuring power rotation to that axis. And it will be expedient on all the political gladiators in the state to speak with one voice and concede power northward. Agitating for power shift may sound too presumptious to some people, but we should not forget that the breath of fresh administrative air that will all enjoy today in the state started years before the 2019 elections. The O’toge struggle/movement was as old as the state itself. And by the time we all act and do things with common interest, there will be less strife and struggle. Kwara North deserves the taste of the executive seat to douse the tension of political marginalisation. For the South and Central to have had a taste, the north must also be considered to produce the next governor of Kwara State. Not only will this gesture of equity bring justice, it will further deepen our democratic ethos and strengthen our fledging democracy.

Democracy as a government of the people, by the people and for the people promotes inclusiveness amongst the constituting entities. For the sake of posterity, allowing power shift to the North will be the greatest legacy that governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq could bequeath Kwara State, which will in turn defines him as a governor who truly loves Kwara State; and this legacy will be more enduring and indelibly stand the test of time than any monument that may be erected in honour of him and his unprecedented achievements. According to Bates, “Legacy is defined not only by the accomplishments and vision you leave behind but also by how you conduct yourself as a leader and the decisions you make every day. If you decide to do the right thing when no one is looking, you build a track record, and people trust you.”

It will therefore be in the best interest of posterity if governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq could take the less taken path by his predecessors and encourage power shift to the North. With that, he will make a difference, change the game for the better, leave a legacy, be a guide that someone else can follow and make better, and then someone else will follow that and make that better. He will leave a legacy beyond his limitations and far beyond the expectations of others.

Dapo Williams, a Public Affairs Commentator wrote in from llorin, Kwara State.