2027: Despite Rift, AbdulRazaq Says Wike Will Give APC 100% in Kwara

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has claimed that support for President Bola Tinubu from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, could take the All Progressives Congress (APC) to 100 per cent support in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

This is despite the frosty relationship between the two politicians.

The governor also dismissed the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a weakening political force in Kwara.

He argued that its declining fortunes had strengthened the APC’s position ahead of the polls.

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AbdulRazaq spoke on Sunday in Ilorin while receiving a delegation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), led by its Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari.

He said the APC had maintained a 70 per cent support base against the PDP’s 30 per cent since 2019, adding that the opposition had continued to lose ground.

“The balance of the equation here is 70-30: 70 per cent APC and 30 per cent PDP. And that’s consistent from 2019 until the election. Nothing has changed except that the PDP has continued to weaken,” he said.

The governor argued that Wike’s declaration of support for Tinubu had further altered the political equation in the state.

“With the national leader of the PDP being a member of our campaign council and declaring that his party, the PDP, will vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it means that the PDP 30 per cent versus our 70 per cent is now adding up to 100 per cent,” AbdulRazaq said.

He consequently described Kwara as one of the easiest states for the APC to win.

The governor’s optimism over Wike’s support contrasts with the disagreement between the two men over the minister’s political activities in Kwara.

During a media chat in Port Harcourt on September 2, Wike accused AbdulRazaq of spearheading a campaign against him and said he had personally confronted the governor over the alleged hostility.

The dispute is linked to Wike’s political relationships with aggrieved APC figures in Kwara, some of whom oppose the governor’s preferred candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

Despite the tension, Wike has maintained his support for Tinubu’s re-election, distinguishing his position on the president from his disagreements with some APC governors.

AbdulRazaq expressed confidence in the APC’s governorship candidate, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly Salihu Yakubu Danladi, describing him as a grassroots politician capable of sustaining his administration’s programmes.

He said Danladi’s legislative experience had given him a good understanding of the state’s budget and government operations.

AbdulRazaq also defended his administration’s record, citing developments in education, healthcare and the civil service since the APC took office in 2019.

“When we came in 2019, it was a challenging situation. Salaries were not paid, gratuities were not paid, pensions were not paid. That is a thing of the past,” he said.

Yari said the delegation visited Kwara to appreciate the governor’s contributions to the APC and seek his continued support for the party’s nationwide campaign.

“Your Excellency, we are here to pay homage. We know, particularly I personally know what you are doing to ensure that APC succeeds not only in Kwara but also in Nigeria,” he said.

The delegation included former governors Aminu Bello Masari, Rochas Okorocha, Ali Modu Sheriff, Adamu Aleiro, Abubakar Badaru, Ibrahim Shema, Sani Yerima, Danjuma Goje, Abdullahi Ganduje and Olusegun Mimiko.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole and former lawmaker Olubunmi Ette were also among those present.

The team later visited the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to seek prayers and blessings for Tinubu’s re-election and other APC candidates.