Supporters of the All Progressives Congress in their numbers, in Kwara Central Senatorial District on Saturday, held a rally in Ilorin to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other party candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday, the rally, led by the Senior Special Assistant on Women Mobilisation, Monsurat Lawal, began at the General Hospital Roundabout in Ilorin and passed through major parts of the city, including Surulere, Agaka, Oja Oba Market, Gambari, Ita-adu, Kankatu, Omoda and Alore.
The participants, dressed in matching outfits, danced to pro-APC songs and displayed banners in support of the party’s candidates, including AbdulRazaq, who is seeking the party’s ticket for the Kwara Central Senatorial District.
According to the statement, while speaking on the sidelines of the rally, Lawal said the demonstration was organised to express support for the governor and mobilise votes for APC candidates.
“This public demonstration is rooted in our love, support and commitment to mobilising votes for our hard-working leader and Governor, Mall. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is contesting for the Senate”, Lawal was quoted as saying.
She added that the rally also aimed to strengthen support for Tinubu and other APC candidates across the state, expressing confidence that voters would support the party based on its performance.
Lawal also called for continued peace and unity among party members, urging them to maintain their support for APC candidates across the state.
“We also staged the rally in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC candidates across the state. And we believe that Kwarans are students of history, who have felt the impacts of this government in positive ways.
“They know the difference between Kwara of yesterday and today. We are confident that they would not make moves that could bring us back. We are indeed going forward”, she added.
The Deputy Speaker of the Ilorin West Legislative Council and councillor representing Warah-Oshin/Egbejila Ward, Sherifat Balogun, appealed to aggrieved party members to reconcile with the APC, saying the governor’s administration was transforming the state.
“APC is in charge, as evident in the turnout. We didn’t hire anybody. You can see all of us in uniform. These are just a few of us who came out from Kwara Central, because it’s a voluntary rally. Nobody is paying us for anything,” she said, explaining that the purpose was chiefly to prove the Governor’s success story and the feedback from citizens, particularly the people of Kwara Central.
She urged members who were dissatisfied with the party to return and support the administration. “We are appealing to the aggrieved members to join the moving train for the continuity of good works that the Governor is doing.”
Another party member from Oloje Ward, Amb. Zakariya Jumai, praised AbdulRazaq’s commitment to gender inclusion, saying his administration had created opportunities for women and young people to participate in decision-making.
She expressed confidence in the APC’s electoral prospects, while urging party supporters to continue mobilising for its candidates. “The major party we have in Kwara is APC. Others are minority, and we are majority. We can beat our chest and tell the whole world that APC is 100% in Kwara State, and we guarantee that we will be the winner of the upcoming elections, Insha Allah.
“We just gathered members of APC who are here to display support and promote the candidates. We are here to canvass for them, to let them know the purpose of women, and to let them know the women are behind them.
“We are innovative, and we appreciate the Governor for motivating us. We have women who are commissioners, senior special assistants (SSAs) and special assistants (SAs), among others, and they are performing creditably well.”
Also speaking, Hajia Falilat Saka, popularly known as Iya Eleja, said the rally was organised to demonstrate women’s support for AbdulRazaq, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Salihu Yakubu Danladi, and other APC candidates.
“Today’s rally shows that women in Kwara Central and across the state are solidly behind Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi and other APC candidates, and they would all have the day in the 2027 general elections,” she said.