A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress and Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Lola Ashiru, has declared his intention to contest for the Kwara governorship seat in the 2027 general elections.
The senator representing the Kwara South senatorial district expressed optimism in winning the election, saying that he has the best credentials to rule Kwara State.
Sen. Ashiru made this declaration while receiving executive members of the Correspondents’ chapel of NUJ Kwara state in his Offa country home on Sunday.
“I have come into this race. Before now I have not come out to say I will contest, but in sha Allah, I am going to contest because I believe I have the best of credentials to rule Kwara State for the next four years starting in 2027 and I believe I probably understand the people and the place called Kwara because I have been here longer than any contestant”, he said.
He also said that he understands the people and the place called Kwara better than anyone as he has been here longer than any contestant.
“The best thing is to give everybody a chance to choose the best of leaders, I was even saying at that time that I sympathise with the Kwara North because they have been cheated out of power for a very long time, they have a good reason to say it’s their turn but power is not like that.
” It’s not served in plate, you struggle for it. You present yourself for it. It doesn’t really matter whether you are a Christian, because a Christian has won an election in Kwara state.
“It doesn’t really matter whether you are from Ilorin, because AbdulFatah has won the election and he’s not from Ilorin. Baba Adebayo had won, Shaba too. But we must recognise the fact that the Ilorin people are better prepared than all other senatorial districts. But it doesn’t always mean they will always be winning.
“In anything you are doing prayer is very important. I believe God will answer my prayers and I will do very well”, he said.
Speaking on the recent attack by bandits in Kaiama local government area of the state, the lawmaker and governorship aspirant called on governments at all levels to strengthen border security through the promotion of shared prosperity among border communities.
He stressed that effective management of border communities would significantly reduce criminal activities.
The Senate Deputy Majority Leader noted that properly secured and economically empowered border areas would serve as a strong deterrent to crime.
“I feel our border links with neighbouring communities must be well managed. The first and most important step is to spread prosperity across these areas,” he said.
“Prosperity has a lot of influence on people’s ability to resist aggression, whether verbal or physical. Communities like Eruku and Koro are very similar. Eruku borders Kogi State, while Erile here borders Osun State,” Ashiru explained.
He added that special attention must be given to border and peripheral settlements, describing them as the first line of defence against external threats.
“We should give adequate attention to these peripheral settlements because before internal aggression can occur, there must be collaboration from within. When people are satisfied with the system, the likelihood of supporting criminal activities or external aggressors becomes very low,” he said.
According to him, states sharing boundaries must adopt a coordinated approach by investing in the welfare and development of their border communities.
“Niger State should protect its territory by spreading prosperity, Kwara State should do the same, and Kogi State should also ensure prosperity along the Eruku and Koro axis. If we adopt this approach, issues of killings and insecurity will be greatly curtailed,” he stated.
Ashiru also commended the people of Woro for their resilience and solidarity, offering prayers for the repose of the souls of those killed in Woro and Kaiama.