As Kwara State prepares for the 2027 governorship election, the focus should be on sustaining the remarkable progress recorded since 2019 under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Instead, a section of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the G15 coalition of aggrieved governorship aspirants and political stakeholders, has chosen a path of endless agitation following the emergence and subsequent affirmation of Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu-Danladi as the party’s governorship candidate.
No democracy is without internal disagreements. Aspirants have every right to challenge outcomes they consider unfair through established party mechanisms. However, when political grievances evolve into sustained campaigns capable of undermining the very party that has provided the platform for their relevance, legitimate dissent begins to look more like political desperation.
That perception has only been reinforced by recent events. Following the affirmation of the APC candidate, several members of the G15 have reportedly pitched their tents with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the same party Kwarans decisively rejected in 2019 after years of dissatisfaction with its style of governance. For a group that insisted its fight was about protecting internal democracy, abandoning the APC immediately after exhausting internal processes raises legitimate questions about whether the campaign was ever about principle or simply about power.
Their earlier petition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, demanding a rerun of the primary, now appears even more contradictory. Having failed to secure the outcome they desired, defecting to the opposition suggests that the agitation was less about strengthening democratic processes and more about overturning an unfavourable political verdict. Politics demands conviction, consistency, and loyalty to ideals, not simply loyalty to personal ambition.
Ironically, the destination of their political journey is the very party whose years in government inspired the historic “O to Ge” movement. That movement was never about replacing one political elite with another. It was a popular demand for accountable leadership, transparent governance, and development that directly impacts the lives of ordinary people.
Seven years later, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s record explains why the APC remains the dominant political force in Kwara. The party’s strength today is not built on political rhetoric but on visible achievements across every sector of the state’s economy.
Infrastructure has witnessed unprecedented investment, with hundreds of kilometres of roads completed or under construction across the state. Landmark projects such as the General Tunde Idiagbon Flyover and the Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari (Unity) Flyover have transformed mobility in Ilorin, while rural roads constructed under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) are connecting farming communities to markets and stimulating economic activities.
Education has received sustained attention through the recruitment of thousands of teachers, rehabilitation of schools, and the successful implementation of the KwaraLEARN programme, which is transforming learning outcomes through technology. The establishment of the Kwara State University of Education further demonstrates the administration’s commitment to building human capital.
Healthcare has equally witnessed remarkable improvements. Nearly 200 Primary Healthcare Centres have been revitalised, diagnostic facilities upgraded, health insurance coverage expanded, and investments made to improve the welfare of healthcare professionals. These interventions have brought quality healthcare closer to thousands of families across the state.
The administration has also strengthened public finances through improved internally generated revenue, expanded social investment programmes for vulnerable citizens, supported agriculture as a key driver of economic growth, and addressed long-standing salary, pension, and gratuity obligations inherited from previous administrations. These achievements have restored confidence in government and laid a solid foundation for sustainable development.
This is why the APC remains formidable in Kwara. The party’s greatest strength is not merely its political structure but the goodwill earned through Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s performance. Across the sixteen local government areas, Kwarans can see the difference in roads, schools, hospitals, agricultural investments, and social programmes. They have experienced governance that prioritises development over political drama.
As 2027 approaches, the real contest will not be between those issuing petitions and those changing political parties. It will be between those who can point to measurable achievements and those asking the electorate to overlook a proven record of progress. Kwarans have consistently shown that they reward performance over propaganda.
The APC enters the next election from a position of strength because it has earned the confidence of the people through purposeful governance. The recent defections may generate headlines, but they cannot erase seven years of visible development or diminish the goodwill Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has built across the state. In the end, politics is judged not by noise but by results, and on that score, the administration’s record remains its strongest campaign.
• AbdulRafiu Aladi writes from Ilorin, Kwara state capital
