Ten All Progressives Congress candidates for governor in Kwara State have voiced concerns about what they see as a worsening crisis within the party, claiming that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has “lost moral and political authority” to influence the party’s future in advance of the general elections in 2027.
The aspirants, in a joint petition issued on Friday and addressed to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, 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; Barrister 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 capable of weakening the APC’s electoral chances in Kwara State.
They also faulted the governorship selection process in the state, 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.”
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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 realization,” 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.
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