Ten governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State have raised concerns over what they described as a deepening crisis within the party, alleging that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has “lost moral and political authority” to shape the future of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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.”
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.
“Regrettably, the gains of that collective sacrifice have not been consolidated… Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has, in our considered view, failed to provide the inclusive, broad-based, and unifying leadership required to sustain the coalition that brought our party to power.”
The aspirants further alleged that key political stakeholders who contributed to the party’s rise in the state had been sidelined over the years.
“Over the past seven years, key stakeholders who devoted their resources, energy, and political capital to the building of the APC in Kwara State have been alienated, marginalised, or deliberately excluded from meaningful participation in both government and party affairs,” they stated.
They warned that the development had weakened the party’s grassroots support and emboldened opposition forces in the state.
“The result has been a steady weakening of the APC’s political strength in the state and a troubling resurgence of opposition elements. The support base of our party has been significantly diminished,” they said.
In one of the strongest sections of the petition, the aspirants declared that the governor had lost his grip on the political structure of the party in the state.
“In our firm assessment, Governor AbdulRazaq has lost the moral and political authority to determine the future of the APC in Kwara State.
“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,” they said.
To prevent what they described as an impending collapse, the aspirants urged President Tinubu to intervene directly in the state’s political process.
“That Your Excellency take a sober and critical look at the developments in Kwara State, including the circumstances surrounding the announcement of results for primaries that did not hold, and intervene in the interest of the party’s survival,” they appealed.
They also called for a review of the governorship selection process, insisting that a more inclusive and consensus-driven approach was necessary to restore unity.
“That Your Excellency carefully review the records, capacities, loyalty, and statewide acceptability of the aspirants, with a view to making a decisive and unifying choice among the governorship aspirants,” they said.
The group pledged support for any consensus candidate endorsed by the President, promising to mobilise their political structures toward ensuring APC victory in 2027.
“Should Your Excellency adopt such a course, we give our solemn assurance that we will rally behind any consensus candidate acceptable to Your Excellency and the party,” they stated.
They further warned that if the current situation persists, the APC could suffer electoral setbacks across all levels in the state, including the presidential election.
“Your Excellency, we must state without ambiguity that if the present trajectory is allowed to continue, the electoral prospects of the APC in Kwara State in all elections (including the presidential election) will be severely imperilled,” they cautioned.
Meanwhile, reacting in a Facebook post on Friday, Ibraheem Abdullateef, Senior Special Assistant on Communication to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the President had already endorsed the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.
He urged aggrieved stakeholders to embrace dialogue rather than confrontation, maintaining that the time had come for party members to close ranks and focus on preparations for the 2027 elections.
He said, “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.”
He described calls for the President to cancel the outcome of the process as misplaced, while advocating dialogue and concessions among stakeholders.
“The call for the intervention of the President to cancel the elections, just so a new person can be presented, is slighted. While concessions are fair to be demanded and dialogue may be encouraged, it is time to put the house in order and set course for the elections.”
Abdullateef added that party members should rally behind the party’s candidate and work towards electoral success.
The latest development comes amid intensifying internal disputes within the Kwara APC over an alleged consensus arrangement reportedly favouring the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as a preferred governorship candidate.
The arrangement, according to party insiders, has deepened factional divisions, triggered parallel alignments among aspirants, and intensified mistrust within the party structure.
Findings suggest that tensions escalated following allegations of irregularities in the handling of party primaries and claims of exclusion of key stakeholders from decision-making processes.
A coalition of aggrieved aspirants had earlier met with the APC Elders Caucus in Abuja, where they reportedly rejected the consensus plan and demanded a more transparent and inclusive selection process.