The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Kwara South, Saheed Popoola, has blamed insecurity and poor infrastructure in the district for his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing his former party of failing to address the plight of residents.
Popoola, a former chairman of Offa Local Government Area, said the worsening security situation, particularly kidnapping, had forced some residents to abandon their communities and relocate to safer areas.
Speaking on the Kwara State Correspondents Chapel’s News Keg platform on Friday, he said his decision to join the PDP was driven by concern for the people rather than personal political ambition.
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“I defected to the PDP because the APC and the actors there do not have the interest of the masses at heart. During the era of the PDP, insecurity was not famous like now, that was why I defected,” he said.
The senatorial hopeful identified security, infrastructure and agriculture as his major priorities if elected, arguing that poor road conditions in the district had worsened insecurity by making communities difficult to access.
He promised to lobby fellow senators to address the security challenges and attract infrastructure projects to the district.
“I want to position myself as the messiah of Kwara South,” he said.
Popoola also proposed establishing a neighbourhood watch involving Fulani and Yoruba residents, arguing that local people understood the terrain better than security personnel deployed from outside the area.
He said the security challenges had also affected agriculture, with many residents abandoning their farms and ancestral homes.
On the forthcoming political contest, Popoola warned voters against accepting money from politicians, alleging that the APC and its agents were distributing cash to win support.
“Money is not everything,” he said, urging residents to assess candidates based on their ideas and development plans.
The former local government chairman also addressed his previous remarks linking former Senate President Bukola Saraki to the Offa bank robbery, saying he stood by his confession but owed Saraki an apology for the offence.
“I owe Saraki an apology and I must render it because I offended him as my leader,” he said.
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