Ten governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have petitioned President Bola Tinubu, urging him to intervene in what they described as a worsening intra-party crisis triggered by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s handling of the state chapter.
In the petition dated Friday and addressed to the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the aspirants alleged that AbdulRazaq had “lost moral and political authority” to shape the party’s direction ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The signatories are 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, Dele Belgore (SAN), and Senator Yahaya Ibrahim Oloriegbe.
Opening on a conciliatory note, the group congratulated Tinubu on his administration’s third anniversary and reaffirmed their support for his 2027 re-election bid, describing his Renewed Hope Agenda as “the surest path to unlocking Nigeria’s vast potential.”
Collective Gains Betrayed, They Allege
The aspirants argued that the 2019 “Otoge” movement that swept the APC into power in Kwara was a broad coalition effort — one they say the governor has since squandered.
“Regrettably, the gains of that collective sacrifice have not been consolidated,” they stated, adding that AbdulRazaq had failed to provide the “inclusive, broad-based, and unifying leadership” needed to sustain the alliance.
They accused the governor of alienating key stakeholders, weakening the party’s grassroots structures, and inadvertently emboldening opposition forces. They also raised concerns over alleged primary results for contests they claim were never held, and called on Tinubu to ensure a more transparent and consensus-driven candidate selection process.
“His popularity has declined markedly, and there is widespread apprehension among party members and stakeholders that any candidate associated with his endorsement may be seriously disadvantaged at the polls,” the petition read.
The group warned that without presidential intervention, the fallout could cost the APC not only the governorship but also ground in Kwara during the 2027 presidential election.
Governor’s Camp Fires Back
AbdulRazaq’s Senior Special Assistant on Communication, Ibraheem Abdullateef, dismissed the petition in a Facebook post, stating that Tinubu had already endorsed Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu as the party’s preferred candidate.
“President Bola Tinubu received Kwara Speaker SYD and endorsed his candidacy, like he did to others from other states. Asking him to reverse his decision is not the best possible position. It is time to jaw-jaw, not war-war again. It had to be one person,” Abdullateef wrote.
He urged dissatisfied members to embrace dialogue and channel their energy toward securing the party’s victory in the 2027 polls.
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