By Engr.Ridwan Elemosho
There are moments when a people stop waiting to be told what is good for them and decide for themselves. Kwara South witnessed one such moment at the weekend. When prominent figures such as Chief James Bamisaye Ayeni (J.B. Ayeni) and Senator Sule Simon Ajibola lead thousands out of the ruling party in Osi, while hundreds more in Olla leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), it is more than a change of party affiliation. It is a verdict. People do not abandon the party in power, with all its patronage and machinery, unless they have concluded that it no longer deserves their loyalty. That conclusion is spreading across Kwara South, and the APC would be unwise to dismiss it.
The deeper truth is that this realignment is born of neglect and fear. Ekiti and Isin, where the defections took place, have borne the brunt of both. The road linking Osi, Obbo-Ile, Eruku and Egbe, a lifeline for Ekiti Local Government Area, has deteriorated so badly that motorists are now trapped on it, while community groups are left to plead for work the Federal Government has already approved. Travellers on the same axis have been stopped at gunpoint and abducted. In Isin, youths, farmers and traditional leaders from Isanlu-Isin, Oke-Onigbin and Edidi once blocked the highway to demand an end to the kidnapping of their people, yet the attacks continued. In August, gunmen invaded Igbesi, within Oke-Onigbin, and abducted the Onigbesi of Igbesi. When a traditional ruler can be taken from his own community, the message to ordinary residents is clear: nobody is safe. In 2019, the *O To Ge* movement promised a new political order built on development, accountability and responsive governance. Seven years later, roads are crumbling, residents cannot sleep in peace, and no amount of propaganda can conceal that reality.
That is why the 2027 election matters, and why Hon. Prince Saheed Olamilekan Popoola (Ifokanbale), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Kwara South Senatorial District, is the right man for the moment. He is no newcomer to public service. He has served as Executive Chairman of Offa Local Government, Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Kwara State, and a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly. He understands how government works and, more importantly, how it fails when leaders lose touch with the people. Kwara South needs a senator who will carry the concerns of its communities to the National Assembly, press for the rehabilitation of neglected federal roads, and keep up the pressure until the district’s forests and highways are secured.
Security alone, however, is not enough. Insecurity thrives where young people are idle and where farmers cannot earn a decent living or move their produce to market. Popoola recognises this, which is why his agenda ties safety to opportunity: vocational training and enterprise for young people, agro-processing that turns harvests into wealth, motorable roads that connect communities, and improved healthcare and education across the district. It is an inclusive vision that treats all seven local government areas of Kwara South as equal partners rather than spectators. That is the essence of his *Aṣojú Rere* message: worthy representation for all.
The APC may attempt to explain away the events in Osi and Olla, but a government that cannot keep its people safe or fix the roads they travel should not expect to retain their trust. The people are speaking, and they are speaking with their feet. For the PDP, the task ahead is to turn this momentum into organisation, organisation into trust, and trust into victory at the polls. As the Yoruba saying goes, *Àgbájọ ọwọ́ la fi ń sọ̀yà*: it is through joined hands that strength is shown. Kwara South is rallying behind Popoola, and 2027 will prove it.
*Kwara South First. Aṣojú Rere for All. Development Without Exclusion.*
#KwaraSouthFirst #AsojuRere #Popoola2027 #IsinForPDP #EkitiForPDP