There are moments in the life of a political movement when the noise of internal dispute threatens to drown out the very purpose for which the movement was born. Kwara State is at such a moment today. What follows is not written to condemn, to take sides, or to score political points. It is written by someone who loves this party and loves Kwara State with every fibre of their being; as a fellow traveller, a fellow believer in the Kwara we all sacrificed for, bled for, and built together. The hurt on all sides of this divide is real, and it is understood.
Before I go any further, I want you to know who is speaking. I am not writing this from a position of power, personal gain, or political calculation. I write as someone who loves this party and loves Kwara State with a depth that goes beyond any title, any contract, or any appointment. I have committed my personal resources, my time, my energy, and my quiet influence to see this party succeed and to see Kwara excel. I have done so without seeking anything in return; no position, no patronage, no recognition. My only reward, the only thing that has ever driven me, is the dream of a united Kwara; a Kwara where our people are well governed, where our party is strong, and where the sacrifices of everyone who built this movement are honoured. It is from that place, and only that place, that I speak today.
You were there at the beginning. You remember the fire of the Otoge movement, that historic awakening that shook the political foundations of Kwara State in 2019. It was not the effort of one man, one group, or one faction. It was the collective thunder of your voices, your resources, your sleepless nights, and your unshakeable faith that Kwara deserved better. Every one of you seated among the G10 played a role in that miracle. History will not forget you, even if the present moment feels unkind.
So I understand why the events of recent weeks have stung. You feel excluded. You feel that the process was not fair. You feel that the enormous contributions you have made to this party and to this state have not been adequately honoured. Those feelings are real, they are legitimate, and they deserve to be heard; not dismissed, not mocked, and not waved away. But today, I appeal to something deeper than grievance. I appeal to your wisdom.
The question before us is no longer simply about who emerged from a primary or how it was conducted. The question before us today is this: Will we hand Kwara State back to the forces we collectively defeated? Let us be honest with ourselves. Our opponents are watching. They are not sleeping. Every public statement of division, every petition, every faction meeting, every headline announcing cracks in our party are not just internal matters. They are fuel being poured into the engine of those who wish to reclaim what the people of Kwara rejected in 2019. They are watching us argue amongst ourselves, and they are quietly organising. We cannot afford to give them that gift.
Let us speak plainly, as men and women who love this state. A house divided against itself cannot stand. This is not merely a wise saying; it is a political truth that has buried great parties, toppled powerful administrations, and handed power to the undeserving throughout history. Kwara State is not immune. Think carefully about what prolonged division will cost us. Every day we spend issuing counter-statements and rival petitions is a day our opponents spend building structures, recruiting our disenchanted members, and telling the people of Kwara that the APC is in chaos. The ordinary voter in Offa, in Ilorin East, in Baruten, in Ekiti Local Government does not care about our internal debates. That voter cares about who is strong enough to govern. And a party that cannot govern itself cannot govern a state.
The dangers of our present division are immediate and severe. When loyal APC supporters see their leaders fighting, they stay home on election day, and some cross to the opposition, meaning every defection today is a vote lost in 2027. The PDP and other opposition forces have never left the field; they are regrouping, watching every crack in our wall and preparing to exploit it, because our division is their greatest campaign asset. A state chapter in perpetual crisis also loses the confidence of the national party leadership and the Presidency. Federal projects, appointments, and political patronage flow to states with cohesive, dependable party structures, not to states consumed by internal warfare. Beyond all of this, the historic revolution of 2019 that freed Kwara from decades of political subjugation was built on sacrifice, and to surrender that freedom to avoidable division would be a betrayal of every Kwaran who believed in us and voted for change. Ultimately, the people of Kwara are the ones who will suffer most if we lose power to an unprepared opposition. The schools being renovated, the roads being built, the youth being empowered; all of this halts when we are defeated. Our grievances are personal, but the consequences of defeat are collective.
We have seen what happens to parties that allow division to fester. We have watched promising political movements collapse from within, not because their opponents were stronger, but because their own leaders chose ego over equity, pride over progress, and personal ambition over the people they swore to serve. That must not be our story.
Now let us turn that mirror around and look at what we become when we choose to stand together, because the power locked inside a united Kwara APC is extraordinary and we must not underestimate it. Among the G10 aspirants alone, we have former senators with deep federal connections, seasoned diplomats with national and international reach, legal luminaries, technocrats, grassroots mobilisers, and community champions. The Kwara APC Elders Caucus carries the moral authority and historical memory of our party’s founding. The three senators of the Kwara APC Senate Caucus command legislative influence that can shape federal decisions in favour of our state. Governor AbdulRazaq’s administration has the structures, the incumbency, and the developmental record. When these forces converge; when aspirants become campaigners, when elders become unifiers, when senators become mobilisers, and when the Governor’s structures align with the people’s energy, we become an unstoppable political force.
Think of it this way: ten fingers, when spread apart, can barely lift a stone. But closed into a fist, those same ten fingers can shake the ground. That is what our unity looks like. That is what 2027 looks like when we choose to fight together rather than fight each other. A united APC Kwara means a candidate backed by every ward, every local government, and every senatorial district; campaigns powered by collective resources rather than the pocket of one man; a message of continuity and progress that resonates with voters who have witnessed Governor AbdulRazaq’s transformation of our state; the confidence of President Tinubu and the national party leadership in a Kwara that is solid, reliable, and ready; and an opposition so demoralised by our cohesion that they concede before the first ballot is cast. This is not a fantasy. This is within our reach, and all it requires is that each of you makes the choice that great leaders make: to place Kwara above self, to place the future above the present hurt, and to place our people above our pride.
We also believe, with every conviction in our hearts, that there is a win-win outcome available to every person seated on both sides of this divide, and that is the vision we wish to lay before you today. This reconciliation need not produce losers. It need not require any man or woman to swallow their dignity or abandon the legitimate expectations they have built over years of loyal service to this party. What it requires is that we reimagine the structure of our engagement; that grievances be heard at a proper forum, that roles be defined beyond the governorship race alone, and that every stakeholder who contributed to the rise of the APC in Kwara be given a seat at the table of its future. Appointments, legislative influence, party positions, campaign leadership, and constituency representation are all arenas where the talents of the G10 and the Elders Caucus can be deployed meaningfully. The governorship is one position, yes, but the governance of Kwara State is a vast enterprise that requires all of your strengths. There is room for everyone who is willing to build rather than break.
To our esteemed aspirants and elders who have raised concerns, we ask you to look at Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu beyond the politics of this moment. He has served this state with distinction as Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly. He is a man who emerged from the grassroots, who understands the language of the common people of Kwara, and who has demonstrated the capacity to carry the prosperity agenda of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq forward into the next chapter of our state’s history. His emergence has received the endorsement of Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; a President you all pledged your loyalty to, a President whose Renewed Hope Agenda you all promised to defend. Supporting Danladi is not surrendering your ambitions. It is investing them in the future of a party you helped build. He does not seek to erase you. He needs you. A governorship campaign without the G10 is a race run on one leg, and he knows this. He is ready to sit across from you, eye to eye, as brothers, to find the common ground that makes all of us stronger.
To Dr. Oluwatoyin Alabi, Senator Saliu Mustapha, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki Gambari, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, Barrister Dele Belgore SAN, and every other aspirant who has poured your heart into the dream of leading Kwara; I see you. Your ambitions are not wrong. Your desires to serve are noble. But consider this: the greatest leaders in history are not always those who win every battle. They are those who know which battle to fight and when to build rather than break. The 2027 governorship election is not the end of your political story. It is a chapter, and how you respond in this moment, whether with wisdom or with warfare, will define how future chapters are written. Your supporters are watching you. The younger generation of APC members across Kwara’s 16 local governments are watching you. They want to see statesmanship. They want to see the men and women they respect demonstrate that Kwara is bigger than any one person’s ambition, including their own.
To the distinguished members of the Kwara APC Elders Caucus, led by Chief James Bamisaye Ayeni, you are the conscience of this party. You have seen political storms come and go. You know that no storm, however fierce, destroys a party that is rooted in unity. Your role in this moment is not simply to validate grievances; it is to lead reconciliation. We appeal to you to convene your wisdom, bring your moral authority to bear, and help steer this great party away from the precipice. History will honour you for it.
There is one more appeal I must make, and I make it with the greatest respect and the deepest sincerity. I implore every aggrieved party member, every aspirant, and every supporter to please, for now, step back from the national television studios. I implore those who have taken to the streets in protest to pause. I say this not to silence you, and not because your pain is without merit. I say this because every appearance on national television to air our internal disagreements, every protest that is filmed and broadcast across this country, is painting a picture of Kwara State that we will all struggle to undo. It is telling Nigeria that our house is in disorder. It is telling our opponents that we are vulnerable. It is telling the voters we need in 2027 that we cannot manage our own affairs. These images do not hurt one side of this debate; they hurt all of us equally, and most importantly, they hurt the people of Kwara who deserve a dignified and capable leadership. There is nothing wrong with fighting for what you believe is right. But let us fight that fight inside our own family walls, behind closed doors, at the reconciliation table, where resolutions can be reached and where Kwara’s good name is protected. The moment a resolution is found, the moment our family is whole again, then let the cameras come. Let the world see a united, confident, and formidable Kwara APC. But today, the most patriotic thing any of us can do is to keep our battles private and our unity public.
To every aggrieved aspirant, every elder who feels bypassed, every stakeholder who has carried anger in their chest since the primaries of May 22; today, we reach out our hand and we say with all sincerity: put down your sword. Not because you have lost. Not because your grievances are trivial. But because the war you are fighting will destroy the very kingdom you are fighting to lead. Every petition filed in Abuja, every counter-rally, every public broadside against our party’s leadership; these are swords. And every sword drawn within our family is one less sword available to face our common enemies in 2027. We cannot afford to bleed ourselves dry before the real battle begins. The greatest warriors in history were not those who fought the most battles. They were those who knew when to sheathe the blade and sit at the table. This is that moment. Laying down your sword is not weakness; it is the highest form of political courage. It takes more strength to extend a hand in reconciliation than to throw another punch in anger. The men and women who will be remembered as heroes of this Kwara APC story are not those who fought the loudest, but those who, at the critical moment, chose peace over pride and chose Kwara over conquest.
There is a table waiting for you. Not a table of defeat. Not a table where you are asked to bow your head in shame. But a table of honour, where your voice will be heard, your contributions will be acknowledged, and your place within the Kwara APC family will be affirmed. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, a man who has steered this state through transformation and progress and who understands that no administration succeeds without the goodwill of its party faithful, is ready to engage. He knows that the strength of his legacy depends not just on what has been built in concrete and steel, but on the political harmony he leaves behind. We therefore make this solemn appeal: let us resolve our differences within the walls of our own APC family. What is broken can be mended. What is misunderstood can be clarified. What is unfair can be addressed. But none of this can happen in the press, in petitions to Abuja, or in rival press conferences. It can only happen at the table.
We call for a genuine, open, and inclusive reconciliation dialogue within the Kwara APC, one that brings together the G10 aspirants, the Elders Caucus, the Senate Caucus, party leaders across all 16 local governments, the Governor, and Rt. Hon. Danladi Salihu. Let every grievance be tabled. Let every voice be heard. Let every stakeholder walk away knowing they are valued, they are needed, and they are part of what happens next. What we are asking is not surrender. We are asking for statesmanship. We are asking each of you to be bigger than this moment, to look beyond the hurt of today into the promise of tomorrow; a Kwara that is prosperous, united, and governed by leaders who earned the trust of their people by first trusting one another.
Brothers and sisters, the APC in Kwara did not rise by accident. It rose because men and women of courage chose unity over comfort, sacrifice over self-interest, and Kwara over everything else. That spirit is still alive. It lives in every one of you reading these words. We are calling you back to it today, not to erase your concerns, not to pretend the process was perfect, but to remind you that what we are building is larger than any one of us, and that Kwara, in the end, needs us more than we need our individual victories.
Sheathe the sword. Step away from the battlefield of division. Walk through the door of reconciliation. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu are on the other side of that door, waiting, willing, and ready to welcome you as family, ready to listen, ready to share the table, and ready to build a Kwara where every one of your contributions finds its rightful place and reward. Come back to the table. Let us talk. Let us heal. Let us win together. Kwara is watching. History is watching. And the people we serve deserve nothing less than our very best, united.