By An investigative report from the Presidential Villa has claimed that Kwara South lost the chance to produce the next governor of Kwara State due to the personal interests of some APC stakeholders in the state.
According to the report, Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq was advised to present two strong and popular aspirants from Kwara South who could win the governorship election for the APC.
The report alleged that Justice Isa Ayo Salami, alongside members of the Afenifere group, promoted former Kwara APC Chairman, Bashiru Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB), to President Bola Tinubu as a preferred candidate.
However, the governor reportedly rejected the proposal, claiming BOB was not popular enough across Kwara South and had poor relationships with party members.
Sources said the group was later asked to present another acceptable candidate from Kwara South, but Justice Salami and BOB allegedly insisted that if BOB was not chosen, no other candidate from the district should be considered.
The report described the move as one that denied Kwara South the opportunity to produce the next governor, despite having qualified aspirants in the party.
As a result, Governor AbdulRazaq was reportedly allowed to choose his successor from Kwara North, which was said to be his preferred option in the interest of fairness and equity.
The emergence of the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, who is believed to be the governor’s preferred candidate, was said to support the claims in the report.
Political observers say politics in Kwara South has long been affected by division, betrayal and personal interests, which have continued to deny the region key leadership opportunities.
