A chieftain of a new political movement in Kwara state, Iyiola Oyedepo, has declared that the present leadership in the state has failed the state and is unable to provide the right direction for good governance in the state.
Iyiola, a former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, stated this over the weekend at a press conference in Ilorin, the state capital, to launch the new political movement tagged ‘Kwara Redemption Movement.’
The conveners of the group explained that the new movement is necessitated in the state by a lack of equity, justice and fairness in governance and distribution of amenities in the state.
According to Iyiola Oyedepo, the arrowhead of the new group, the movement launched at the E-Phonix hotel, GRA, Ilorin, on Saturday is not a political party but a socio-political movement to sensitise the people of the state to elect the right leadership for the state in the next elections in 2027.
He said that the movement consists of academicians, politicians, members of civil society organisations, professionals and others who desire to make a difference in the governance of the state.
He said: “Though Kwara State was among the first generation of states created in 1967 by the federal government with a lot of promises, the state could not rank well as some of the thriving economic outfits, including industries, schools, agricultural concerns and good public service put in place by the founding fathers, had been killed by succeeding political leaders, especially in the third and current republics.”
Oyedepo, who was a prominent member of the ‘O to ge’ movement, a political pressure group that produced all the current political leaders, including the governor, AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, in 2019, said: “The current leaders have failed the state and have not provided the right direction for good governance in the state.”
He said that the ‘O to ge’ movement did not produce the envisaged results because the beneficiaries bastardised the vision of the revolution.
“You may be curious that most of the champions of the ‘O to ge’ revolution are here today talking about the redemption of Kwara State. The truth is that we erected the pillars of ‘O to ge’ that metamorphosed into the present administration. The inheritors of the gains of the revolution may not have shared our vision of quality departure from the past. With the unintended outcome of that struggle, we can say that ‘O to ge’ can be said to be a revolution aborted and the dream bastardised.”
He lamented that the people were not allowed to contribute and participate in the governance of the state while there was no equitable distribution of amenities in the state.
Oyedepo said: “The Kwara Redemption Movement, KRM, is not a political party; it is only a vehicle to sensitise and mobilise the people in the state for the right leadership in the next election.
“You will agree with me that the time is ripe for the emergence of a new generation of political helmsmen that must lead this state to an era where people will be encouraged to contribute to the common pot of soup that will be fairly served.”
He called on the people of the state to join the new socio-political movement in the state to ensure equity participation and distribution of amenities in the state.