By Akeweje Olayinka Fafoluyi
Anyone who has read Comrade Salahudeen A. Lukman’s recent memo to the Kwara State Government on the structures marked for demolition along Olofa Road would recognize that the self-styled defender of Offa is engaged in a calculated and self-serving exercise.
In seeking to prove that the affected buildings violated no land-use laws, the photos attached by Eluku Omo Adugbo ironically showed the opposite. Many of the structures are poorly positioned and, at worst, erected on drainage channels—blocking water flow and damaging the very road the government seeks to repair.
Salahudeen is fully aware of these realities. Yet, with 2027 around the corner, he deceives himself into thinking he can deceive the people of Offa. But they are wiser to his political antics and theatrics. There’s no doubt that they are looking forward to rejecting him at the polls once more.
Lukman has tested his popularity twice at the ballot box. On both occasions, he suffered landslide defeats to his APC opponents. Bitter and pained by those outcomes, he has chosen the path of unfounded blackmail rather than honest reflection on why Offa people consistently reject him.
The truth is simple: the people of Offa are not self-serving like Salahudeen. They are renowned for their selflessness, unity, respect for constitutional authority, and commitment to meaningful progress. It is therefore delusional and self-defeating for him to think such a people will be swayed by empty theatrics.
Though Lukman parades himself as the voice of Offa and the youth who desire Kwara’s progress and development, his political record proves otherwise. He longs for a return to the Saraki era when illegality thrived. More troubling, he is an unrepentant, self-interested opportunist, who’s neither fighting for Offa’s progress nor committed to its development.
Owners of the affected structures received notice before the recent 72-hour deadline. That is why, unlike Lukman—the emergency voice of Offa and habitual sore loser, they have prioritized the collective good of Offa. Instead, they appear willing to support the government’s development initiative for Offa and its people.
As the 2027 elections approach, Kwarans must be wary of PDP elements like Salahudeen who cloak their defense of illegality in false concern for the people. At best, these people have nothing to offer; at worst, they are motivated solely by personal gain.
Under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara has witnessed remarkable progress. Not even a million Omo Ita Adugbo can erase the Governor’s unprecedented achievements in women and youth empowerment, infrastructure development, and workers’ welfare.
Finally, I urge Eluku Omo Ita Adugbo, sorry Omo Adugbo and his allies to embrace constructive criticism instead of the baseless attacks and blackmail that have continued to cause more harm than good to their sinking party. Governor AbdulRazaq is not only a performing leader but also a blessing to Kwara, and no amount of opposition propaganda will turn the people against him.
Akeweje writes from Aran-Orin in Irepodun Local Government.
