- Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), has warned the APC against zoning its 2027 governorship ticket to Kwara North.
- He described such a move as “suicidal,” arguing that the party must prioritize electoral strength and population in Kwara Central over regional sentiments.
- Sulaiman, who has formally declared his intention to run for governor, emphasized that no political party should risk zoning a ticket to a region where it lacks a clear and comfortable comparative advantage.
The political landscape in Kwara State is heating up as the debate over power rotation takes center stage ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, a prominent APC aspirant from Kwara Central, has cautioned that zoning the governorship ticket to the Northern senatorial district could lead to a catastrophic loss for the ruling party.
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In a viral video addressed to stakeholders, Sulaiman acknowledged the legitimacy of the agitation for power shift but insisted that winning elections is a game of numbers rather than sympathy. “I am not against zoning or power rotation,” he clarified, “but the question is: how does it translate into electoral victory? If a party knows that zoning to a particular side will not give it the likely victory, the party will not zone.”
Prof. Sulaiman argued that Kwara Central holds the strategic population and voting strength necessary to secure victory for the APC.
He warned that ignoring these variables to satisfy Kwara North’s clamor would be a risk that high-level stakeholders, including President Bola Tinubu and the state governor, are unlikely to take.
“You don’t take that risk. It will amount to committing political suicide,” he stated, drawing comparisons to states like Oyo and Benue, where he claimed parties prioritize winning potential over rotation.
Despite Sulaiman’s warnings, the Kwara State APC Chairman, Sunday Fagbemi, has maintained that the party has not yet taken a definitive stand on zoning.
Fagbemi expressed confidence in the party’s 100% chance of victory in 2027, regardless of the internal debates, noting that the APC is focused on enlarging its winning margin.
As the succession race intensifies, the tension between regional equity and perceived voting strength continues to divide aspirants.
While Kwara North leaders argue it is their turn for the sake of fairness, Central aspirants like Sulaiman believe that the ruling party cannot afford to experiment with its “vantage position” in the next election cycle.
