I Won’t Be Running For Any Office In 2019'-– Lai Mohammed Declares

The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, says he has no intention of contesting for any position in the 2019 general elections. Mr Mohammed said this at a meeting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Thursday.

Rather than seek an office for himself at the polls, the minister prefers to work with others to protect the interests of Kwara State and its people.

Consequently, the minister challenged stakeholders in the state to sacrifice personal ambition for the collective interest, warning that failure to do that could be detrimental to the survival of the state.

He said, “We can’t and won’t lose the looming battle for the survival of our dear state and people”. All that is required is for us all to subordinate our individual ambitions to the collective efforts, work to wrest our state from the hegemony of one man and his cohorts.

“On my own part, I can say here without equivocation that I won’t be running for any office during the forthcoming elections. For me, it is not about any clamour for office. It is about working with all like-minds for the greater benefit of our people.”

The minister’s comments come less than two weeks after the All Progressives Congress lost control of Kwara State with the defection of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and 23 out of the 24 members of the state House of Assembly from the party to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Although the minister is keen to see the APC regain control of the state in 2019, he is aware that achieving the goal won’t be easy.

“Make no mistake about it, the battle ahead will be tough. No one with power will ever give it up easily,” he said.