Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Ten governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have raised concerns over what they described as a deepening crisis within the party, alleging that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has “lost moral and political authority” to shape the party’s future ahead of the 2027 general election.
The aspirants, in a joint petition issued at the weekend and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, warned that the ruling party in the state risks further fragmentation unless urgent intervention is made at the national level.
The signatories include Dr. Oluwatoyin Tajudeen Alabi; Capt. Ahmad Mahmud; Alhaji Tajudeen Audu; Dr. Azeez Salako Muideen Olaniyi; Ambassador Yahaya Seriki Gambari; Senator Saliu Mustapha; Dr Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa; Hon Omar Muhammed Bio; Mr. Dele Belgore (SAN); and Senator Yahaya Ibrahim Oloriegbe.
In the petition, the aspirants expressed continued loyalty to President Tinubu and his administration while urging him to intervene in what they described as a worsening political crisis that could weaken the APC’s electoral chances in Kwara State.
They also faulted the state’s governorship selection process, describing it as lacking inclusiveness and driven by exclusionary arrangements that had heightened tensions among stakeholders.
The aspirants said, “We, the undersigned governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State, write to convey our warm felicitations to Your Excellency on the occasion of the third anniversary of your administration.
“As committed members of our great party, we remain steadfast in our support for your leadership and resolute in our loyalty to your administration.”
Reaffirming their support for the President’s re-election bid, the aspirants said they remained committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda, which they described as central to Nigeria’s development trajectory.
“We reaffirm our total allegiance to Your Excellency and our unreserved support for your re-election in 2027. We are convinced that the Renewed Hope Agenda remains the surest path to unlocking Nigeria’s vast potential, and we stand prepared to contribute meaningfully to its full realisation,” they stated.
However, the group warned that despite their loyalty to the President, the APC in Kwara State was sliding into a dangerous internal crisis that required urgent attention.
“While we join in celebrating the milestones of your administration, we consider it imperative to draw your urgent attention to the grave and worsening situation within our party in Kwara State,” they wrote.
Recalling the 2019 “Otoge” political movement that brought the APC to power in Kwara State, the aspirants said the coalition that produced the victory had been allowed to fracture due to exclusion and lack of internal cohesion.
“Your Excellency will recall the historic Otoge movement, which culminated in the landmark victory of the APC in Kwara State.
“That victory was not the product of any single individual, but of a broad coalition of stakeholders, political tendencies, community leaders, party loyalists, and progressive forces united by a shared resolve to end political domination and restore democratic inclusion in Kwara State.
“Regrettably, the gains of that collective sacrifice have not been consolidated… Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has, in our considered view, failed to provide the inclusive, broad-based, and unifying leadership required to sustain the coalition that brought our party to power.”
The aspirants further alleged that key political stakeholders who contributed to the party’s rise in the state had been sidelined over the years.
“Over the past seven years, key stakeholders who devoted their resources, energy, and political capital to the building of the APC in Kwara State have been alienated, marginalised, or deliberately excluded from meaningful participation in both government and party affairs,” they stated.
They warned that the development had weakened the party’s grassroots support and emboldened opposition forces in the state.
