Some stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state have written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warning against Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman’war of attrition against the elites in the state.
The letter noted that if the Governor is not called to order it may negatively affect the chances of APC in the forthcoming 2027 general elections in the state.
The letter dated April 22nd, 2026, addressed to the President and copied the National Chairman in the name of Concerned Members of Kwara All Progressives Congress, is signed by Hon. Olosasa Toyin, Comrade Onimaza Hamzat Ganeey and Hajia Abdulrahman Alabi.
The letter made available to newsmen at a press conference, Thursday at the APC National Secretariat, commended the President for the silent reforms and progressive policies his administration is initiating to reposition the country’s economy.
The stakeholders said: “We believe the huge resources your administration is putting at the disposal of the government in the various states are aimed at ensuring that they are able to effect genuine developmental initiatives in their respective domains.
“These are measures that will help the party in next year’s election and make your re-election in 2027 an easy task.
“However, we want to call your attention to how in Kwara State, the Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq is pursuing policies, actions and measures that are inimical to the success of the party and adverse to its popularity among the people. Apart from his war of attrition against the elite across the state, he has also deliberately refused to endear himself to the ordinary people.
“While in recent times, the security crises in the state have been on the rise, the governor has shown no empathy by not being present at the scenes of the disaster. This insensitive posture has alienated him from the people and is rubbing off wrongly on the popularity of the party. His actions are de-marketing the APC.
“The situation has been made worse by the reckless manner in which the governor is prosecuting the politics of succession and the partisan process towards fielding candidates for the 2027 polls.”
The petition also accused Governor AbdulRahman of refusal to identify with the leadership and membership of the party since he became the biggest beneficiary efforts to win power for the progressives, a move that eventually succeeded in 2019.
“His recent move to forcefully influence who succeeds him and who gets what in the distribution of other positions towards 2027 is being resisted by party members. He has therefore resorted to using forceful, undemocratic and coercive measures by deploying security agencies against party leaders.
“The governor had initiated criminal litigations against some party leaders in order to force them to toe his line. Examples of such cases are the ones he filed against two prominent elder statesmen, Hon. Ilyasu Moro and Hon. Mashood Mustapha and other party loyalists. Again, he has frustrated all efforts by Senator Soliu Mustapha to execute several developmental projects as part of the legislator’s contributions to the district he represents.
“As a result of some of his actions, Governor Abdulrazaq is highly unpopular in the Central and Southern Senatorial Districts of the state. The situation has gotten so bad that aspirants who initially were using his picture in their posters have stopped the practice when it became clear to them that any aspirant who closely identifies with him will not win in the direct primary or general elections.
“The governor is now seen as a liability, a plague to the party’s candidates, rather than an asset. In the Kwara North senatorial district where the governor has sustained some level of support, it is because of his promise that he would hand over to a governor from the zone.
“His choice of candidate to succeed him is the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Danladi Yakubu. This decision is however questionable as his motivation is not believed to be altruistic. The Speaker is known to be his stooge, along with whom he had perpetrated all the questionable decisions of his administration.
“The speaker is therefore preferred as a person who will cover up for the governor after his exit from office. That is why Kwarans, both in the APC and outside it, view the governor’s Kwara North/Danladi Agenda as Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s Third Term Plan.
“However, as it is gradually becoming clear to the Governor that leaders and members of the APC in the state and at the federal level will not follow him in his self-preservation agenda, he is becoming desperate and seeking diversionary tactics. His recent move against Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Waziri of Ilorin, is perhaps one of the most unpopular measures he has ever taken. This move will not work well for the APC as it is already galvanising public support in favour of the opposition.”
The APC stakeholders said former Senate President Bukola Saraki remain the most popular politician in the state, adding that many voters in the state do not buy the gimmick that he had a role to play in the Offa robbery or any robbery incident, for that matter.
“It is an unpopular move. Though, he is in the opposition, we would have preferred that the APC government not take measures that would win sympathy for him and his party. We, the APC stakeholders, believe that though Saraki is not with us, we do not wish to be on the wrong side of public opinion and public perception by moving against him.
“Your Excellency, many Kwarans are interpreting Governor Abdulrazaq’s current move against Saraki as a war being indirectly waged by your good self. They are wondering whether the Kwara State Governor is acting on your behalf to decimate Saraki and that line of thought is creating tension across the state.
“This move against Saraki is unpopular. It is working against our party, the APC, and may affect our fortunes in the elections. Also, the case against Saraki is already creating needless tension in the various communities in the state.
“killing and kidnapping our people to put them on trial in court. It is also surprising that the governor has refused to visit the victims of some of the killings and kidnappings by bandits in their respective communities as expected of a leader.”
The letter cautioned President Tinubu and the National Chairman that the perceived “missteps and inactions should not be allowed to negatively affect the party’s fortune.
“So, we need to immediately and promptly checkmate this governor. We therefore appeal to Your Excellency to immediately call Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to order. He should not drag the party and its candidates in next year’s elections into the mud.
“Mr President, as the leader of the country and our party, we urge you to urgently step into the situation in Kwara State and ensure that no negative moves affect the plan of the APC to deliver the State to our dear party in 2027.”
