Does APC Hold The Ace In Kwara Gov’ship Race?

Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) gubernatorial candidate for the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election looks good to coast home victory in the election.

Asides the incumbency factor which puts him at advantage over his rivals from other political parties, the superlative performance of APC during the February 25, 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections where the party won all the three senatorial and six House of Representatives seats is an icing on the cake.

And since the outcome of the presidential poll which the APC won with a wider margin in Kwara, there have been an avalanche of defections of the high and the low from the opposition parties to APC in the state. There have also been a plethora of endorsements from the frontline traditional rulers in the state for Governor AbdulRazaq’s re- election bid.

From the Emir of Ilorin and chairman, Kwara State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alh Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari to Etsu of Patigi, Alh Umar Bologi II to Etsu Patigi, Alh Aliyu Abdullahi Kpoto, the governor had received royal blessings for his second term bid.

Prominent opposition figures that have endorsed AbdulRazaq included the senatorial candidates of the ADC and NNPP in the February 25, 2023 elections, Senator Sulaiman Ajadi and Mr Ope Saraki respectively; and a former Kwara north senatorial aspirant under the banner of the PDP, Aisha Ahman-Patigi.

The governor has also received endorsements from unusual quarters like the Kwara Artisan Congress, Okada Riders Association and Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN).

Also, the chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim

Gambari, has praised AbdulRazaq’s efforts in bringing economic development to the people of the state as demonstrated by the timely collaboration between the Kwara State Government and the UNDP on a cash transfer economic empowerment project that he noted will impact lives and change destinies.

During a thank you visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Governor AbdulRazaq said the emir’s prayers and fatherly support in the run up to the presidential and national assembly elections assisted the state to record a peaceful process.

He said “I must say in the whole of Nigeria today this is the first homage being paid by any candidate who has won an election. Your star will continue to shine. We will continue to pray for you and look forward to your leadership as the number one leader in the state and the Chairman of the state’s Council of  Chiefs,” AbdulRazaq said.

The governor sought the Emir’s continuous support over the coming gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.

“On the forthcoming elections, we also pray for your guidance and support. Whatever the outcome of the elections we know it has your blessing and rubber stamp. We thank your Royal Highness,” he added.

In his remarks, the Emir of Ilorin, Alh Sulu-Gambari sought God’s guidance and wisdom for the newly elected senators and House of Representatives members.

The monarch also prayed God to grant AbdulRazaq and other candidates of the party success in the polls slated for March 18, reiterating that the governor has performed creditably  well to deserve a re-election.

The governor has equally been full of praise for residents of the state for coming out in their multitudes to vote for the candidates of APC in the state.

He said: “The outcome of this important election asserts one thing: the people of Kwara are clear about the future we all desire for the state, regardless of the groundless lies of the opposition parties and their leaders.

“With all of the Senate and House of Representatives seats in the bag, the results were unambiguous about the fact that our collective victory in 2019 over unproductive godfatherism, poor governance, and the sense of entitlement was neither an accident of history nor a fluke induced by any propaganda. I thank you indeed. We certainly do not take your overwhelming support for granted. Just so you know, more than anywhere else in this country, Nigerians are really proud of our determination to finally bury political servitude in Kwara State.”

He added, “I trust that you will seal our match to complete freedom from politics of domination, arrogance, and godfatherism by voting for me, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, as your Governor and all the House of Assembly candidates of our party, APC, on March 18, 2023. This will enable us to consolidate on the gains of the past four years and ward off those who desperately seek to reverse the many gains of Otoge.”

On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the Kwara South senatorial candidate of ADC and an estranged stalwart of APC, Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi announced that he will be working with other progressives in the state to re-elect Governor AbdulRazaq who he said remains the best option for Kwara State for the next four years.

In a statement, the senator also said he and his team have decided to return to the APC as he is not given to politics of zero sum and perpetual bitterness.

“My supporters and I have put the National Election behind us. We cannot be accused of not exercising our democratic rights. However, it is time to move on as democrats. Consequently, I am hereby directing my supporters to work conscientiously for the re-election of Governor AbdulRazaq,” Ajadi stated.

He added, “I also have the mandate of the majority of our candidates, especially those from Kwara South, to announce our return and collapse of our structures into the APC.

“Whatever the misgivings anyone may have, I have come to the conclusion that any vote against the Governor at this time would amount to setting our state back several decades,” he added.

Also, a former Kwara North Senatorial aspirant under the PDP, Aisha Ahman-  Pategi has endorsed the re-election bid of Governor AbdulRazaq.

The former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who served in Governor AbdulRazaq’s cabinet from 2019 to 28th August,2020 resigned following a purported official dispute.

In her recent comment on Kwara Commission, a popular social media group among Kwarans, Ahman-Pategi joined forces with the progressives calling for the re-election of Governor  AbdulRazaq in the March 18 governorship and State House of Assembly polls.

According to her, ‘Absolutely, I worked for the progressives in the past election. I will do same come Saturday inshaAllah #AAP for #GAA 4+4.’

She added that Governor AbdulRazaq’s commitment to Kwara North 2027 agenda earns him a place as the best candidate for a second term in office to consolidate his achievements across all sectors.

However, the main opposition in the state PDP is expected to put up a fight considering that it was a former ruling party in the state. But will it be enough, considering that its fortunes have dwindled measurably in recent election cycles?

Nevertheless, the party’s candidate Mr. Shuaibu Abdullahi Yaman, a former member of the House of Representatives, has also enjoyed endorsements as well from some institutions, including the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS). He would have the uphill task of leading PDP to unseat APC which  won impressively in the presidential and National Assembly elections barely two weeks ago.