Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state has said that the ruling party remains the darling of the people despite economic challenges that continue to affect not just the whole country but the entire world.

Addressing journalists in Ilorin on Monday, on the sideline of fifth anniversary of the APC-led government of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the state chairman of the APC, Chief Sunday Fagbemi, said that with support of elected and appointed representatives in different layers of government, and the people of this state, the state executive committee has managed the success of the party over the last five years.

“Our party has won 100% in our elections not because we are perfect. We won all our elections because we are obviously pro-masses, we develop every part of the state, we are responsive to the yearnings of the people, and we empathize with the people within the resources available to the state.

“Even at that, our party has been conscious of the need to create a balance between creating economic opportunities for the people and allowing activities and unregulated growth that may jeopardize urban planning and development and ultimately hurt the people in different ways, including security breaches“.

The party chairman, who said that the state government has reduced issue of thuggery in the political activities in the state, added that political thuggery had bred violence in the past.

“Our government has drastically reduced or eliminated the thuggery and unruly conducts of some nonstate actors that were the hallmark of the political system in Kwara State before 2019. Our government, thanks to the Governor, has taken a principled stand not to submit to the hitherto political thuggery which bred violence in the past. This has restored sanity and peace in the political system and this is due to the peaceful nature of the Governor and zero tolerance for thuggery. This policy has changed the political temperature of the state for the foreseeable future and we are confident that Kwarans will not return to the ugly past.

The leadership of the ruling party pledged to continue to support Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to succeed while calling on stakeholders to participate peacefully in the forthcoming local government elections.

“As we look forward to the local government election on September 21, we call on all stakeholders to play by the rules and avoid any action that may heat up the polity because this is the only state that we have”.

“As a party, we thank the people of this state for their support and commitment to the ideals of our party. We are not perfect, but what makes us the popular choice and better is that our party and our government have committed to restoring the dignity of the Kwara person, welfare of public sector workers and promotion of viable private sector, repositioning the corporate image and standing of our state, making the right investment to support socioeconomic growth, and implementing policies and programmes that prioritise the collective wellbeing of the people. As a party and leaders, we are proud and grateful to God and to the people of this state for the huge success we have recorded over the last five years”.