Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the former Minister of Sports, has formally declared interest to run for the governorship of Kwara State on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

Abdullahi made the announcement today at a very colourful ceremony in Ilorin where he was endorsed by several political groups and hailed as the leading gubernatorial aspirant of the PDP for the State.

Abdullahi said he was inspired to join the race because of his passion to provide purposeful and impactful leadership that will improve the lots of the people, explaining that the central agenda of his government would be youth-inclusiveness.

He said: ‘’the greatest investment the government can make is to make the youth productive. That’s why my number one, two and three agenda is on youth development. Because, if we do not solve the problem of the youth, we cannot talk about development.

‘’The vast majority of our population are young people, to harness their potentials we must provide them with quality education,’’

Abdullahi stated that as a child of poor parents who hawked food in the streets of Ilorin, he knew what it is to be poor and suffer lack. “When we were young, my sister and I used to hawk fufu on the streets of Ilorin. We were poor. I went to LSMB primary school at Oke Anifowoshe. The same school we went to today cannot give quality education. All I want is for the children of the poor to have the same opportunity as I did and have the chance to become someone of influence.

Abdullahi argued that the greatest freedom the people of the state desire is improvement in their quality of life and wellbeing.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi Campaign Organization, Engr Abiodun Asonloko, described Abdullahi as the most prepared aspirants amongst the PDP gubernatorial hopeful.

‘’Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi is the first gubernatorial aspirant that made his manifesto available even before he becomes the candidate of the Party. This is an indication of good things in the offing for Kwara State’’, he said

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