The national secretary of the Ilorin Emirate Political Advisory Council (IEPAC), Lt. Col. Abubakar Edun (rtd), has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will retain Kwara State in the 2027 elections only if President Bola Tinubu and Senator Saliu Mustapha are fielded as candidates. Edun made this disclosure during an interview with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Wednesday.
Tinubu's support in Kwara
According to Edun, President Tinubu has consistently enjoyed considerable support across the three senatorial districts of the state. He argued that Tinubu's candidacy would positively influence the APC's performance in the first elections, particularly the National Assembly polls. Edun said, "What the President has done for Kwara State in the last three years, there is hardly anyone else that has done same for the state before in history."
Federal appointments as evidence
Edun cited federal appointments secured by prominent indigenes of the state under the Tinubu administration as evidence of the President's commitment to Kwara. Among those mentioned were the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince AbdulLateef Fagbemi (SAN); Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari; Director-General of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Biodun Ajiboye; and board member of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun. Others listed included top echelons in agencies such as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, and the National Intelligence Agency.
Endorsement of Tinubu and Mustapha
Edun argued that the APC would campaign from a position of strength if both Tinubu and Mustapha emerge as the party's candidates. He said, "This is why the Ilorin Emirate Political Advisory Council found the two of them worthy of our endorsement. We are unequivocal about it and there is no going back on it despite pressure to do otherwise." He added that although the group is not politically aligned to any particular bloc, it would continue to support causes and political interests it considers beneficial to the Ilorin Emirate.
Advice to APC leadership
Edun also urged the APC leadership to carefully consider the calibre of candidates it fields in the forthcoming elections, stressing that the quality of leadership presented to voters would be critical to the party's electoral fortunes in 2027.
