Kwara 2027: Group calls for Northern governor

Worried by what it described as an age-long inequalities in political power rotation in Kwara State, a forum: Kwara South Equity Advocates (K-SEA) has called for the election of a governor from the northern zone of the state in 2027.

It lamented that the Central has ruled the state for over 20 years against other zones’cumulative eight years.

The chairman of the group, Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal, at the group’s summit at the Comprehensive High School, Ajase-Ipo, recently, noted the seeming injustices and inequities associated with the power sharing and governance in the state since 1999.

Speaking on the theme: A new dawn in Kwara: Quest for Equity, fairness and justice; Kwara South for Kwara North, Lawal said the group is poised to contribute to the advancement of democratic governance and equitable development in Kwara.

“Accepting that equity is everyone’s business, this forum would like you to think back and x-ray the previous administrations we have had in Kwara State, especially in the recent past. Which of the previous administrations would you sincerely say upheld governance with respect to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging?

“Since the commencement of the nascent democracy in 1999, with three regions in Kwara State: North, South, and Kwara Central, we have not experienced equitable distribution of power and inclusiveness, and this has adversely affected our democracy.

“In what looks like a polarisation of democracy in our state, by 2027, Kwara Central would have governed the state for 20 years, Kwara South for eight years, while Kwara North has never had a taste of the leadership stool of the state. This is deepening the state of division and distrust that seems to pervade our society.

“What, however, inspires hope in holding the bull by the horn in this struggle is the fact that the government, the administration, and the body language of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq signify a determination to awaken and restore the declining confidence of citizens in democratic institutions and the increasing disregard for democratic norms and rules, which many political actors deliberately ignored,” Lawal stated.

He, however, suggested that “it is time for power to either shift to Kwara North or Kwara South for equity and moral truth because anxieties are growing over the future of democracy in Kwara State.”

He acussed successive governments of insensitivity in power sharing/rotation in a multifaceted society, saying that successive administrations in Kwara State have either lacked the concept of power-sharing and inclusiveness or deliberately exerted actions to dislocate democracy in our peace-loving state.

“Their lack of administrative foresight has also brought about ideological distance from collective efforts to move the state forward, fueled public disaffection, intolerance, discrimination, and diminished societal trust,” he said.

The guest lecturer, a Professor of Political Science, Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Prof. Ebenezer Ejalonibu Lawal, aligned with the group, berating the experience that the central zone would have ruled for 20 years at the end of the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq administration.

He advised the Kwara North to work towards a consensus candidate for easier access to the government House in 2027.

“Politics is a game of number, let all be prepared to see this project as personal ambition for there to be a realistic ambition.

Also speaking, the founder of Thomas Adewumi University, JBO Adewumi, represented by Prof. Olusegun Elegbede, expressed his belief in equity and the governor.

The chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Sunday Fagbemi, urged Kwarans to allow the governor to choose his successor.

He lamented the many neglects the zone suffered during the administration of former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed who also hails from the area.