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By Chinelo Obogo
The move by Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrasaq to have someone from Kwara North succeed him may have hit the rocks.
Sources around Kwara Government House and the presidency noted that although the governor has not given up, his camp feared that if insists on having a Kwara North person as the candidate and the opposition decides to field a candidate from the Kwara Central, the APC may eventually lose out in the contest.
Kwara State like most states in the country are divided into three Senatorial districts. But since the return to civil rule in 1999, only Kwara South and Kwara Central have been able to produce the governor. While Kwara South has produced for only eight years, at the end of the incumbent’s tenure, Kwara Central would have governed for 20 years. This, many believed may have informed the decision of the governor to want to have his successor from Kwara North.
But others think otherwise. “There are several qualified persons from Kwara North. One of them is the current Senator representing the area. So, why is the governor insisting on having the incumbent speaker of the House of Assembly? Have you not noticed that despite the all the killings in the Kwara North area of the state, the speaker has not said anything. The only reason is that he does not want to be seen as criticising the governor. Unfortunately, I don’t see that scenario playing out anymore. The governor is being forced to choose from among the aspirants from the Kwara Central following the collapse of the move by some persons close to the president to have a candidate from Kwara South succeed the governor,” one of the sources said.
However, a source close to the governor noted that it would not be correct to say the governor has lost out. “The struggle is still on. It is true that the governor wants a Senate ticket. But it is not correct to say that he has lost out. Truth, the governor’s camp is just being realistic. If we field a northern candidate and the opposition fields a candidate from Kwara Central, we will be running a tight race. This is the truth,” he added.
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As at the time filing this report, the Dr. Bukola Saraki group in Kwara is also positioning itself to benefit from the impending crisis in APC in Kwara State. Daily Sun’s investigations reveal that Saraki’s supporters in Kwara State have affirmed that they want all to contest elections on the PDP platform as it is their sure bet for regaining power in Kwara State.
For instance, a meeting of the party’s stakeholders in Ilorin recently agreed that its delegates from the state should attend the last Abuja convention and that if they observe that INEC was present and other necessary recognition to validate the activities and resolutions from the convention are present, they will hold another meeting to finally decide on their political future.
“ It is believed that the PDP is still very popular in Kwara State and Saraki’s supporters do not want their mobilisation efforts to suffer a setback by having to start all over again on a fresh platform. Since all politics is local, the former Senate President is determined to listen to his supporters and pursue plans at the national level that will give maximum advantage to his supporters back home. Thus, the survival of PDP and its ability to field candidates in the 2027 polls is important to Saraki, “ sources disclosed to Daily Sun.
Daily Sun further gathered that Saraki is calculating on the fact that the party is best placed to benefit from the likely implosion in the over-loaded APC bus. He believes many of the defectors to the APC and others who have gone to displace or put at a disadvantage will either return to the PDP or work for the PDP.
“As an indication of the plausibility of this calculation, a prominent gubernatorial aspirant who previously left the PDP for APC in Nasarawa State, David Ombugadu has returned to the PDP. Many others are said to be waiting for clear indications that the PDP would field candidates in the 2027 general elections without any inhibition, and they would return to the platform. And as Saraki predicted, INEC was fully represented by almost a dozen top officials to monitor the Abuja PDP Convention. “
All said and done, Saraki, Daily Sun gathered, has been busy rebuilding his structure back home in Kwara, and seeking to get his group to reclaim control of Kwara State. If he accomplishes that and PDP resurrects, then, Saraki and his group will be most likely well positioned ahead of 2031.
