A renowned neurosurgeon and national honouree, Prof. Wale Sulaiman, has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will retain Kwara State in the 2027 general elections, citing the party's governance record and the ongoing reforms of President Bola Tinubu's administration.

Sulaiman, a former governorship aspirant in the state, stated this during an interview with journalists on Thursday, saying the APC remains the better option for both Kwara State and Nigeria despite prevailing economic challenges.

He acknowledged the hardship caused by inflation and the rising cost of living but maintained that the Tinubu administration's reforms were necessary to reposition the country for sustainable economic growth.

"Despite the challenges of day-to-day living, the high cost of living and inflation, I believe Nigeria is going in the right direction," he said.

The former governorship aspirant noted that his political experience, including his participation in the governorship election under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had given him a deeper understanding of Kwara's political landscape.

He recalled that his issue-based campaign secured about 25,000 votes, which, according to him, demonstrated that Kwarans are capable of assessing political parties based on ideas and performance rather than sentiment.

Comparing the administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC in Kwara State, Sulaiman said the ruling party had recorded greater achievements in healthcare, education, sports infrastructure and overall development.

He argued that the APC would approach the 2027 election with a stronger performance record than the opposition.

"There is nothing the opposition can say during campaigns that can beat APC at the polls," he said.

Sulaiman predicted that the APC would retain the state in the next governorship election, expressing confidence that the party's performance would earn it another mandate.

According to him, Kwara North is likely to support the APC candidate, while Kwara Central may witness a split in votes among aspirants, with Kwara South expected to play a decisive role.

"Based on the performances of the two parties, and knowing my people, I think APC will still carry the day in 2027 in Kwara State," he said.

The political stakeholder, however, urged Kwarans to focus more on demanding accountability from elected leaders than on the personalities seeking public office.

He called on citizens to become more involved in governance by insisting on responsive leadership capable of addressing the state's developmental challenges.

"We need to reawaken the spirit of our people in Kwara State. We should not be so worried about who the candidate is, but how we challenge whoever becomes the next governor.

"We must ensure that whoever emerges is accountable, responsive and responsible for the issues affecting our people," he said.

Sulaiman also encouraged youths and women to play more active roles in advocating improved public services, employment opportunities, better healthcare, quality education, enhanced security and infrastructure development.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding the APC governorship primary in the state, he said objections to the process should have been raised during the exercise rather than after a winner had emerged.

He maintained that members of political parties are expected to abide by established rules and internal mechanisms for resolving disputes.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu had previously stated that governors, as leaders of their respective state party structures, were empowered to guide the process of selecting their successors.

"In Kwara State, the leader of the party is the governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. The president said governors had been given the consent to choose their successors," he said.

While describing the post-primary complaints as "a contest after a winner has emerged", Sulaiman called for clearer guidelines on succession within political parties to minimise future disagreements.

He urged political actors to shift their attention from internal party disputes to pressing issues affecting residents, including insecurity, unemployment, education, healthcare and infrastructure.

According to him, political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections should be driven by competence, leadership capacity and practical solutions to the challenges facing Kwara State.

"The debate should be about who is the most competent, who has demonstrated leadership and who has shown the capacity to tackle the biggest challenges facing Kwara State," he said.