A new political group, the Kwara Redemption Movement (KRM), has emerged in Kwara state ahead of the 2027 general elections with a resolve to recruit a new set of leaders for greater development of the state.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin at the weekend, members of the group, who are made up of politicians of different divides and led by a stalwart of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, said that “the major problem of Kwara is not in its soil, land, air, or water, and neither is it in the geography that put us together as a people in a state. Kwara’s problem is a lack of genuine, committed, and responsible leadership.”.
Akogun Oyedepo said that membership in the group is made up of some strong-willed Kwarans that are united to chart a new political course for the people of the state.
“We have at the core of this movement academicians, politicians, members of civil society organisations, professionals, etc. whose desire is to provide a difference in the governance of this state.
“Having studied Kwara state from its creation in 1967, particularly the current ignoble state of affairs in the state, there developed in the members of this group the patriotic zeal and desire for a new beginning for the people of Kwara state,” he said.
The people, who lamented that there was low development since the creation of the state, said that “this state was once a state with excellent potential whose cultural, religious, and ethnic mix was reflective of its uniqueness of location. Today it is a crawling toddler.”.
He explained that the new political group is not an arm or extension of any of the existing political parties, saying that it is not an association formed to advance the political, senatorial, or ethnic interests of anyone.
“It is a state-wide association set up to advance the collective interests of Kwara people in particular and Nigeria in general. Its membership is drawn from across the major political divides, with full representation from the three senatorial districts of the state. The Kwara Redemption Movement (KRM) is a child of necessity. We have noticed that there is a void in the general affairs of the state and that while there exist protections for community and sectional interests, no organisation champions the holistic interest of the people of the state; hence, such a movement as the KRM must urgently come to the rescue. Membership has no inhibitions, and it is open to the interested.”
Oyedepo said that the KRM is creating a new philosophy of service in public office in the state, adding that the group would strive to grow people of integrity and character with sufficient skills, wisdom, and knowledge to solve identified problems in the state.
“The issue of godfatherism must receive a fatal blow, while money will not be inappropriately spent to defeat values necessary for the development of Kwara state. In short, members are called into self-sacrifice and volunteerism”, he said.
Also speaking on the new movement, a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Ezekiel said that the movement is out to correct past mistakes on the former movement: “Enough is enough movement, “O to ge movement.”
He said that the “O to ge movement” was done in a hurry, adding that beneficiaries of the struggle had taken the state for granted.
“And this time around, we decided to start in earnest so as to know the kind of people to work with in order to assist the state to achieve the goals of the founding fathers of the state.
“The state is not moving when compared with other states created along Kwara State in 1967, and this is the reason we have come together to fashion way out in order to return the state to her glory come 2027.”.
Ezekiel, therefore, urged the members to be steadfast and committed to the goals of the KRM so as to take the state to greater heights.
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