Why PDP lost 2019 polls in Kwara – Saraki

Former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has broken his long silence over the 2019 elections in the state.
Saraki and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost his return bid to the senate and all other elective seat in the state.
But in his first response on the issue, Saraki revealed his role to douse tension in the state after the election adding that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) embarked on illegal deployment of state forces and other undemocratic means to achieve the results declared by the electoral body after the exercise.
Saraki’ in a statement spoke on the political turmoil in Mali and the tension that has trailed the forthcoming elections in the country in Edo and Ondo states.
He said: Let me quickly point out that I am eminently qualified to pontificate on this, as I can use myself as an example. I went into elections in 2019 in Kwara State and both our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and myself lost the elections. We had our reservations on the credibility of the entire electoral process. We had good evidence of the illegal deployment of state forces and other undemocratic means to achieve the results declared by the electoral body.
“The whole country witnessed the level of desperation displayed by those who could not tolerate our guts to turn the election results against us. The utterances of the former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, who continuously boasted how his number one priority and objective was to win Kwara State by whatever means necessary was well documented.
“After the results of the 2019 elections was announced, I sent out messages to my followers, despite their anger and quest to express their grievances, that they should accept the results and maintain peace. I then congratulated the winners and urged our people to support the newly elected officials. To further demonstrate good faith and gracefulness in defeat, I refuse to challenge the process at the tribunal.
“Though I appealed to our gubernatorial candidate, Rt. Hon. Razak Atunwa, to follow suit, he noted that he had already initiated a process at the Tribunal. However, we agreed that if for any reason he lost at the tribunal he should not take the matter beyond that level.
“Thus, he jettisoned his right of appeal at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. All these concessions were made in spite of the strong evidence that the winner lack the educational requirement for the job. The issue we saw at the time was bigger than the winner. Our interest was to give democracy and peace a chance”, he noted.
On the Mali impasse, Saraki said “With this experience, I believe one is in a good position to write about the need for political actors to sometimes suppress the desire for power and take side with the survival of the system. When I argue that politicians should learn to accept election results and demonstrate patriotism even in the face of naked provocation, it is based on my experience.
“The lives of our people, the stability of our democracy and the peace of the society are more important than our personal interest or the inflated egos of the leaders”, he added. – Pilot.