The February 25 presidential and National Assembly election has come and gone. But the surprises the results of the election sprang still linger in the memory of both the losers and winners in Kwara state. The outcome of the poll is having a reverberating effect on the camps of all the political parties ahead of the March 11th governorship and House of Assembly election in the state.

APC candidates swept all the six House of Representatives seats and the three senatorial seats at the poll, thus, consigning former Senate President Bukola Saraki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the political backwaters in the state. All his candidates including a former Youths and Sports Minister lost in the election to the APC candidates. Notwithstanding, all the governorship candidates have gone back to the drawing board to map out their winning strategies.

Interestingly, all but one, of the five governorship candidates, are from the Ilorin Emirate. They include the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and incumbent Governor AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq, Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate and son of the late governor Mohammed Alabi Lawal, Hakeem, New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNDP) flag-bearer, Prof Shuaib AbdulRaheem and Young Progressives Party (YPP) candidate, Waziri Yakubu Gobir. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate, Alhaji Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi is of Nupe extraction from Kwara north senatorial district.

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the victory of APC at the poll as it relates to the party’s chances in about two Saturday’s time. Some political watchers and pollsters in the state are saying the victory is a good signal for APC at the March 11th ousting. Others have argued that other parties especially PDP might still bounce back to reckoning. Others have posited that coalition of opposition parties expressly convoked to unseat the current APC government in the state is also in the offing.  Others are of the opinion that the APC at the presidential and NASS election will have a bandwagon effect of the March 11 poll.

PDP/Abdullahi

Alhaji Abdullahi of the PDP resigned his commissionership at the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission to contest the PDP governorship primaries, banking on the party’s resolve to zone the slot to Kwara north. Yaman as he is popularly referred to was an APC governorship aspirant in 2019 and a member of the Otoge movement that ushered in the current administration in the state.

Irreconcilable political differences and perhaps Governor Abdulrazaq’s style of governance made him part ways with the former. The PDP candidate is optimistic of springing surprises at the poll despite its abysmal performance in the NASS election in the state Senator Saraki is fighting tooth and kneel to stage a comeback to the political reckoning of the state.

APC/Abdulrazaq

Governor Abdulrazaq’s incumbency stands in good stead to emerge victorious at the poll, some political analysts have argued. His legendary humility and some of his masses oriented programmes are additional advantage for him. Little wonder, he had received endorsements from unusual quarters like the Kwara Artisan Congress, Okada Riders Association and Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN). Not too long ago, a pollster known as ANAP Foundation rated him higher than all other contestants. But the PDP pilloried the pollster describing the opinion poll as baseless, laughable and far from reality.

Also, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Gambari praised AbdulRazaq’s efforts in bringing economic development to the people of Kwara State as demonstrated by his timely collaboration between the Kwara State Government and the UNDP on cash transfer economic empowerment project that he noted will impact lives and change destinies.” One personality that has been the unique selling point (USP) of APC in the Kwara central and for Governor AbdulRazaq is the Senator-elect for the district, Mallam Saliu Mustapha. Saliu Mustapha known for over a decade old, legendary’s contributions for the upliftment of the lots of the vast majority of Kwarans especially Ilorin indigenes, is a plus for APC.

And the philanthropist has been going about selling the candidature of the governor and other APC candidates. This will definitely stand the governor and other House of Assembly candidates in good stead. Not taking the APC’s victory at the presidential and NASS election for granted, Mallam AbdulRazaq recently led a thank-you-visit to the Emir of Ilorin Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari following the presidential election. He sought the Emir’s continuous guidance over the coming gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.

SDP/ Lawal

Hakeem Lawal is basking in the euphoria of the aged-long love and affection the people of Ilorin Emirate have for his late father. Hakeem was also part of the Otoge movement. Some people are even saying when push comes to shove SDP candidate might cave in for APC’s. In spite of his party dismal performance at the February 25th, presidential and National Assembly elections, the son of the late military officer is confident of springing surprises at the March 11th governorship and state House of Assembly elections.

He blamed SDP poor outing at the last elections on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in polling units in some wards.  “We are confident of victory. We have that conviction and belief that at the end of the day we shall coast home victory. Our style of campaign is to go to the grassroots and meet with the stakeholders on one-on-one basis. We have met with artisans, commercial drivers and tricylists, market women and the likes and they have assured us of their support,” he said.

YPP/Gobir

Waziri Yakubu Gobir, who doubles as the Madawaki of Ilorin, is reputed for his legendary philanthropic gesture. He is commanding following among the hoi polloi of the society. He also fell apart with Governor Abdulrazaq shortly after the 2019 governorship election.

NNDP/AbdulRaheem

Prof Shuaib AbdulRaheem was also at the forefront of the Otoge revolution. The septugenarian former University of Ilorin Vice Chancellor contested the SDP primaries with Hakeem Lawal and lost. Dissatisfied, he dumped the party for NNDP.

VERDICT: APC TO WIN