The hot race to Kwara State Government House is on. Aspirants from the three senatorial districts are all geared up in their politicking to occupy the number one seat of political governance in the “State of Harmony” come 2027. As we have popular contenders for the seat, judged by various measures, there are others considered as dark horses. These identified dark horses are believed to cause upset based on identified variables. BIOLA AZEEZ analyses the situation and circumstances below:
AS preparation hots up towards scheduled primaries among the leading political parties in Kwara State, political watchers hold the view that the current atmosphere is quite unpredictable unlike before.
The incumbent governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has said that he has no favourite among the governorship aspirants in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a statement that had made the contenders to up their game both in the state and from outside, especially Abuja.
Among the leading contenders for Kwara State governorship position in the APC, come 2027, are the three senators representing Kwara North, Kwara Central and Kwara South senatorial districts in the state, namely, Senators Sadiq Umar, Saliu Mustapha and Lola Ashiru, respectively.
Others include Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Engineer Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, former Kwara House Speaker and federal legislator, Ahmad Ali, and Engineer Kale Kawu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, there are also lesser-known governorship aspirants that are gearing up to take over leadership from the incumbent state governor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who will be stepping aside after his two terms in office in few months.
Some of these dark horses are astute politicians with previous elective and appointive political positions, and who are coming out for the first time to contest governorship position in their political career.
Some of them have even worked for governorship candidate in the state, leading to emergence of such candidate as governor.
Some of these dark horses include Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bashir (BOB), Professor Abubakar Sulyman, Hon. Moshood Mustapha (MM), front line miner in the state, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, a philanthropist, Engineer Sunday Babalola, Chief Oloruntoyin Alabi, Mallam Issa Onilu of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr. Abdulmumin Ajia, an associate professor of Business Administration and director, MBA programme of Lincoln University of Missouri, USA, Hon. Ladi Hassan and Mallam Omar Bolaji Gambari, who is a son of a veteran diplomat, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.
Bashir Omolaja
A former state chairman of the APC, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, popularly called BOB in the state has also signified his intention to contest the governorship position of the state under the APC. A grassroots man to the core. He was a two-term federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives in Lagos State, two-term local government chairman in Lagos State. It was during his tenure as the Kwara state chairman of the APC that the party won the governorship seat and all other elections in the state. Political groups, associations and associates have been working underground to ensure that BOB realises his ambition.
Sulyman Abubakar
The DG NILDS, Abuja, Professor Sulyman Abubakar, was a former governorship aspirant of the PDP before he got the national assignment with the NILDS, Abuja and now defected to APC in the state. He was campaign director for the second term of former PDP governor of the state, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
He was said to have regrouped his political associates under the banner of “Amana” to realise his ambition. He is presently in APC and has remained a ‘serial’ aspirant in the political calculations of the state.
Yahaya Seriki
Also, Alhaji Yahaya Seriki is said to be interested in the governorship position of the state. Alhaji Seriki, a former chairman, campaign council of Governor AbdulRazaq during the 2023 election in the state is believed that his closeness to the governor and Sagaya family and Abuja factor may earn him the ticket.
Mashood Mustapha
The former lawmaker representing Ilorin West/Asa Federal constituency, Hon. Mashood Mustapha, is a business mogul and astute politician.
He is now a chieftain of ADC in the state. He was one of the APC gubernatorial aspirants in the build-up to the 2019 general elections in the state but has dumped the party for ADC in the state. He has aignified intention as one of the gubernatorial aspirants of the ADC ahead of the 2027 election in the state.
He has the capacity and the tenacity to vie for the plum position but his recent faceoff with Governor AbdulRazaq on the award of N17.8 billion Kwara Hotel rehabilitation contract and the demolition of his business arena on Sulu-Gambari Road, Ilorin, have posed serious question to his ambition.
Mustapha fondly called by his admirers as “MM” is a politician of note that cannot be ignored in the political calculations of the state when the time comes.
Another ADC aspirant is an associate professor Abdulmumin Ajia. He has contested governorship position under different political platform in the state. He has been a governorship candidate of African Redemption Party, 2023 governorship aspirant of APC and later dumped APC for ADC. The aspirant garners grassroots support on gradual basis and that factor could give him success at polls. He always showed up at every political opportunity to make his mark in the political calculations of the state.
In the opposition PDP, the governorahip aspirants include the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Professor Ali Ahmad, Engineer Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu Agaka and former Chief of Staff to former Governor Bukola Saraki, Alhaji Ladi Hassan, and a son of a veteran diplomat, Omar Bolaji Gambari. All of them are from Ilorin, Kwara Central senatorial district of the state.
For Professor Ali, popularly called “Ali Dodo”, a consummate politician, having occupied various positions in the state. He was a former commissioner as well as former state and federal lawmaker.
His outstanding performances as a member of the House of Representatives and the Speaker, State House of Assembly is yet to be equalled in the political annals of the state.
No doubt, he is an experienced politician that has garnered desired exposures to provide quality leadership if he eventually emerges as the next leader of the state.
Engineer Kawu, a traditional title holder of Ilorin Emirate, the Dan Iya of Ilorin, is a consumate administrator par excellence. He is an electrical engineer who has worked across the country and has been honoured by various social organisations in Ilorin and beyond. He is said to have big-time sponsors backing his governorship ambition.
As a community man and philanthropist, Kawu has touched many lives by using his potentials to effect new lease of life among the less privileged.
Oloruntoyin Alabi
Alabi is one of the APC governorship aspirants for the 2027 general elections. He is coming in to vie for the exalted position from business background. Alabi is into big-time catering services in eateries in places like Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and parts of Lagos State. An astute grassroots man has kept himself and his campaign committee busy with political evangelism into many parts of the state.
The former Chief of Staff to former Governor Bukola Saraki, Alhaji Ladi Hassan, is also in the race. An astute politician of note. He has garnered all necessary political and administrative exposures to take over the leadership of the state if given chance come 2027. He has been working round the clock to realise the ambition under the PDP.
Two terms of eight years of Governor Abdulrazaq would make Kwara Central senatorial district have spent 20 years altogether as Chief Executive of the State, while Kwara South senatorial district has also produced governorship for eight years.
By and large, with the arrays of qualified political actors in the three major political parties, the APC, PDP and ADC in the State, the race to the Ahmadu Bello Government House may not be an easy task as all of gladiators have been working round the clock to ensure their emergence for the elections.
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