A former APC governorship aspirant in Kwara, Prof. Olawale Sulaiman, has expressed confidence that the party will retain the state in the 2027 general elections, saying it remains the best option for Kwara and Nigeria.
Sulaiman stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.
He acknowledged concerns over inflation, high cost of living and the challenges facing the country amid ongoing economic reforms.
Sulaiman, a renowned neurosurgeon, however, said the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration were necessary to reposition the country for sustainable growth.
“In spite of 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 governorship aspirant said that his political journey, including his experience as a governorship aspirant, had given him deeper insight into the dynamics of Kwara politics.
He recalled that while contesting on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, his team changed the political conversation in the state by securing 25,000 votes through an issue-based campaign.
The outcome, he said, showed that the people of the state were politically conscious and capable of assessing competing ideas and records.
“I have witnessed Kwara under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government and I am seeing Kwara under the APC government.
“I am not talking about personalities; I am talking about real issues and real-life experiences,” he said.
Sulaiman said that he had compared the performances of both administrations in healthcare, education, sports infrastructure and overall development.
According to him, APC has a stronger record to present to voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the opposition will struggle to match the party’s achievements.
“There is nothing the opposition can say during campaigns that can beat APC at the polls,” he said.
On the likely voting pattern in the 2027 governorship election, Sulaiman predicted that Kwara North Senatorial District would unite behind the APC candidate, while votes from Kwara Central Senatorial District could be divided among several contenders.
While describing Kwara South as the likely deciding factor, he expressed confidence that APC would emerge victorious based on its performance and the understanding of the electorate.
“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 medical expert-turned-politician also urged the people of the state to focus less on individual politicians and pay greater attention to holding elected leaders accountable.
He said that citizens must rekindle their civic consciousness and demand responsive governance from whoever emerged as the next governor of the state.
“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, responsible and responsive to the issues affecting our people,” he said.
Sulaiman, however, cautioned against excessive focus on individual politicians, stressing that governance should not revolve around an individual.
“Government is not about one person. One person cannot do whatever he wants and get away with it if the people do not allow it,” he said.
The former governorship aspirant called on youths and women to become more involved in demanding improved public services, employment opportunities, safer communities and better infrastructure.
“We need to wake up. People treat you the way you allow them to treat you, unless you change your stance,” he said.
On the controversy surrounding the APC governorship primary in Kwara, Sulaiman said some stakeholders failed to raise objections during the process and only complained after the outcome failed to favour them.
He said that members of political parties were expected to abide by their rules, regulations and leadership structures.
Sulaiman said that he had known President Bola Tinubu since his days as governor of Lagos State.
“In my visit to Tinubu, he made it clear to me that governors, as leaders of their respective states and 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.
Sulaiman further stated that the responsibility for ensuring transparency, objectivity and legitimacy of the process rested with critical stakeholders in the state.
“The process was there for everybody to see. If you want to fault the process, that should have been done when it was ongoing,” he said.
He described the complaints over the primary as “a contest after a winner had emerged”, saying that political actors should respect outcomes after participating in agreed processes.
He, however, called for clearer guidelines on how governors should select successors to prevent future disagreements.
“I wish there were laid-down rules and regulations on how governors should decide their successors so that it is clear to everybody,” he said.
Sulaiman urged political actors to shift attention from internal disagreements to issues affecting the masses, including insecurity, unemployment, education, healthcare and infrastructure.
He said that political contests should centre on competence, leadership capacity and the ability to provide practical solutions to the state’s challenges.
“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 added.(NAN).
