Former Kwara State Commissioner for Information, Raheem Adedoyin, has commended the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the governorship ticket to the Kwara North Senatorial District.

He also applauded the emergence of the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Salihu Danladi, as the party's governorship candidate

In a statement titled "Of Kwara's Next Guber Ticket - My Take," Adedoyin noted that the 2027 election holds significant implications for Kwara and possibly a few other Nigerian states. He advised the Kwara APC to consolidate the gains achieved in recent years following the "bloodless Otoge revolution."

Adedoyin, who was part of the Otoge Movement and hosted the meeting that produced Dr. Bashir Bolarinwa as the APC state chairman, rejected claims that the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has achieved nothing.

He stated that to build on the foundation laid by AbdulRazaq, "Kwara North should produce the next governor."

Adedoyin argued that "going South or Central is less strategic for the ruling party for several reasons."

He explained: "First, it would show insufficient appreciation for a region that has remained loyal to the party since 2019. Consistently, Kwara North has delivered bloc votes for the APC. For instance, of the votes polled by Governor AbdulRazaq in 2019, 31.8 per cent of the APC votes came from Kwara North.

"In 2023, the Governor/APC again secured 34.3 per cent of its victory figures from the region, even when the main opposition party picked its gubernatorial flag bearer from there. The same pattern was evident in the presidential elections of both cycles."

Adedoyin stated that neither Kwara Central nor Kwara South has much to prove in gubernatorial politics, pointing out that by 2027, the Central zone would have governed the state for 20 years, while the South occupied the seat between 2011 and 2019-an eight-year tenure.

"Kwara North has had no opportunity," he noted.

The former commissioner dismissed claims that Kwara North lacks the numbers or competent candidates, describing such assertions as weak and unverified in light of available electoral data.

He warned: "Picking our candidate outside Kwara North could create the impression that our leaders have scant regard for social justice. No society thrives that way, and we must tread carefully.

"We risk alienating the entire region. That, in my view, could hand the opposition a near-irreversible advantage in the next election."

"As a party administrator and strategist, I do not agree that retaining the ticket in the North is a bad strategy. Nothing concrete supports that conclusion," he added.

Addressing the argument that Kwara Central has the largest voting strength, Adedoyin clarified that "these votes do not belong to ethnic Ilorin alone."

He explained that Ilorin is the most urbanised part of Kwara, owing to its status as the capital and population inflows driven partly by insecurity in other parts of the country, including the hinterlands of Kwara itself.

He stressed that Ilorin South's population is not made up solely of indigenous Ilorin people, noting that many densely populated areas are inhabited by Kwarans from the South, North, and non-Kwarans.

"The same is true of parts of Ilorin West, the state's most populous local government, and to some extent Ilorin East," he added.

He noted that any assessment of Ilorin's voting strength must account for these demographic realities, contrasting it with Kwara North, which he described as the most ethnically contiguous region in Kwara, dominated by the Baruba/Bokobaru and Nupe peoples, a demographic reality connected to their longstanding focus on agriculture and related vocations.

Adedoyin stated that the region with the greatest thirst for the Office of Governor is Kwara North, assuring that "it will deliver maximally for the APC as the ticket has been ceded to the region."

He queried: "Taking it away could trigger anger and protest votes. Do we really want such a shift from our most dependable region?"

Turning to the emergence of the candidate, the former commissioner stated that the Kwara APC had conducted primaries, dismissing claims to the contrary as "merely attempts to discredit candidate Salihu Yakubu Danladi and others."

He noted that such claims do not help the party, the President, or the Governor. "The Speaker, though young, is as competent as any aspirant and has led the House successfully for seven years," he said.

Adedoyin urged party leaders to bury the hatchet, embrace genuine reconciliation, and work for victory.

"Rather than campaigning to reverse the outcome of the primaries, I urge party leaders to bury the hatchet, embrace genuine reconciliation, seek fair accommodation, and work for victory once again.

"I believe the candidate himself recognises this necessity and has already begun reconciliation efforts. As I told him when he visited me shortly after his emergence as our flag bearer, he must continue engaging those who wish to hear from him.

"The Governor and the party leadership at the highest levels must seek to cool tempers. Further alteration of the current arrangement will only deepen divisions and reduce our chances of success. I do not believe that is the intention of the protesting leaders, and I therefore plead that we let sleeping dogs lie.

"If we fail to speak up for what is fair and just, providence may not give us another opportunity to redeem ourselves.

"Our children may someday ask what role we played in building a better society. For equity, cohesion, and long-term stability, Kwara North deserves a shot at Ahmadu Bello House now. There can hardly be a more auspicious time. I wish our party the very best," he concluded.