Kwara 2027: Competence, Not Ethnicity, Must Define Our Future

By: Comrade Yinka Dallas

Politics in Kwara State is beginning to wear a dangerous garment as we approach the 2027 elections. In some political gatherings, a retrogressive refrain has resurfaced: “It is our turn.” Certain politicians and respected party elders from Kwara Central are clamouring for a Kwara North candidate, while some voices from Kwara South are equally insisting that the governorship must rotate to their district.

The Kwara First Forum (KFF), as an advocate of competence and good governance, views these agitations as nothing more than self-serving and parochial.

Let us be clear: this is selfish politics, dressed in the garb of ethnic entitlement. If left unchecked, it threatens to derail the unity and steady progress our dear state has enjoyed under the focused leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The governorship of Kwara is not a birthright to be passed around like family inheritance. It is not a stool for appeasement to be rotated among senatorial districts. Leadership is too serious a responsibility to be reduced to sectional bargaining. What truly matters is competence, vision, and capacity. What truly matters is who can sustain and consolidate the remarkable legacy of Governor AbdulRazaq.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) remains the dominant political force in Kwara today, not because of empty noise, but because of its structure, organisation, and purposeful leadership. In this state, the APC has a leader—Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq—who, alongside the party machinery, bears the responsibility of guiding the emergence of a capable successor.

Instead of strengthening the party and supporting the governor to ensure another resounding victory in 2027, these sectional agitators are attempting to weaken the house from within. That is political sabotage—nothing more, nothing less.

History teaches us that states that succumbed to sectional politics ended up in disunity, stagnation, and instability. Kwara must never walk that path.

The truth is simple: the next governor of Kwara State cannot be a governor of North, Central, or South alone. He must be a governor for all Kwarans. He must possess the competence to consolidate on AbdulRazaq’s achievements, the integrity to inspire trust, and the character to unify rather than divide.

Kwara today stands at a defining crossroads. The progress recorded under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq must not be reversed. The unity we cherish must not be fractured. Sectional agitators must not be allowed to hold our state hostage.

Our task as a people is clear: rally behind the governor, trust his wisdom in guiding succession, strengthen the APC for victory, and insist that competence remains the only true currency of leadership.

Comrade Yinka Dallas
Convener, Kwara First Forum (KFF)