Kwara governor second-term bid tears state APC leaders apart

• Abdulrazaq’s loyalists accuse party chieftains of undermining governor

Loyalists of the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, have accused some leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state of working to undermine him.

They specifically claimed at a press conference in Ilorin on Monday that the state party Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, and some party leaders including Chief Iyiola Oyedepo and Prof. Shuaib Abdulraheem, were using the media to disparage the governor and thwart his second-term bid.

Although they said the governor had not indicated any interest yet, they promised to support him should he decide to seek a second term in 2023.

One of the conveners of the conference, Sunday Fagbemi, who read a prepared speech at the event, said, “It is common knowledge that every governor, especially a performing one, would be interested in a second term.

“Even if His Excellency has not stated categorically that he’s interested in a second term, we’ll by his level of performance ask him to run for a second term.

“Contrary to decency and party rules, they (state party leaders) go on radio to openly condemn the government of their own party. Had the governor not endeared himself to the masses with his humility, simplicity and people-focused performance as can be seen in every part of the state, the insurrection by these persons is enough to bring down any government.”

But the state APC chairman, Bolarinwa denied the allegations.

Bolarinwa said, “I have never spoken against the governor or the government on any radio program. As the chairman of the party in the state, I have been preaching unity among the party members. The people making the allegation just want to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it and this kind of people should be careful.”