APC Chieftain Pleads for Kwara North Gubernatorial Candidate in 2027

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Kwara State, Dr Kolo Jiya has urged members of the political class in Kwara Central and Kwara South Senatorial Districts to concede gubernatorial seat of the State to Kwara North Senatorial District in 2027.

He said the call became necessary in the interest of peaceful coexistence, equity and understanding as well as maturity that the Northern axis of the state had cohabited with two other regions since the return to civilian regime.

Jiya was speaking at the 41st Media Parliament of Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ themed “Religion, Politics and 2027 Governorship Race” held in Ilorin.

He explained that the people of Kwara North were not grandstanding as if it is their birth right to produce the next Governor but pleading with other regions to reason along with the agitation for power shift to Kwara North.

Jiya, a renowned businessman and political leader, said there was no attempt to over heat the polity contrary to the belief that the 2027 gubernatorial contest was some years away.

He explained that unlike in the past, Kwara Northerns are more united than ever and ready to preside over the state.

“Don’t say 2027 is far away; the journey of a thousand year begins one day. As much as you are living, every human being has an ambition. My ambition is 2031, this is on a lighter mood. I want to become President. 

“Those of us from Kwara North, we are not grandstanding neither advocating, we are begging. For the sake of our coexistence, equity, understanding, I want to beg other senatorial districts that they should concede 2027 to us in Kwara North.

“I don’t want any distraction for the incumbent Governor because he is doing well. We beg everybody, Kwara Central and South should consider us in Kwara North. For the sake of equity and sense of belonging, they should concede to Kwara North.

“In Kwara North, we are not divided. We don’t have any problem as far as the agenda of 2027 is concerned. We are more united now than before. Even our traditional institutions are also speaking with one voice”, Jiya said.

Support To Other Regions

He noted that Kwara North has always supported the two other regions in any gubernatorial contest by allotting between 70 and 80 percent of votes coming from the axis to Kwara Central and South when they held away.

Jiya, however, admonished the electorate to be wary of money politics, warning that they would be at the mercy of politicians after the polls.

“Don’t collect money from politicians before you vote for them because they will tell you after they might have been elected that we have paid you off”, he said.

The APC chieftain expressed gratitude to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his leadership quality and for maintaining peace and tranquility in the state, saying that he has done well and should do more.

In his remarks, the state Chairman of NUJ, Abdullateef ‘Lanre Ahmed, identified docility and nonchalant attitude of the electorate as some of the factors hampering recruitment of good leaders.

“The docility and nonchalant attitude of the electorate over the years in arriving at informed choices on the type of leaders they entrust with their mandates, are replete with the leadership question at every strata of governance. 

“It is therefore incumbent on the people to be cautious of the ‘Banana Peel’ of the politicians, who are always out to employ religion affiliation, political leaning, ethnic sentiment, cultural differences and racial discrimination among others as divisive tactics to hoodwink them whenever an opportunity presents self for them to take their destinies in their own hands,” Ahmed said.

Confidence Okwuchi