Kwara South has the strongest lineup of governorship hopefuls within the All Progressives Congress ahead of 2027, party chieftains declared on Tuesday after separate ward meetings in Isin, Ilorin West and Ilorin East.
In Oke Onigbin, the Isin Progressive Likeminds rallied behind former state APC chairman Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, describing him as the aspirant best placed to extend Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq's development record. Convener Kayode Olaoye said consultations across the 11 wards convinced them that "visionary, inclusive and transformative leadership" was required.
A parallel stakeholders' session in Mandate area of Ilorin West produced a similar verdict. Convener Hon. Ayo Obisesan told party elders, women and youth groups drawn from 12 wards that the caucus was "choosing the future over the past," while Professor Yahya Duro Uthman Hambali said the endorsement reflected a "shared commitment" with the candidate.
At Zango, members of the Ilorin East Progressive Caucus voiced approval for both President Bola Tinubu's second-term bid and Bolarinwa's governorship aspiration. Chairman Chief Babatunde Asanlu praised Tinubu's fuel-subsidy removal, exchange-rate reforms and student-loan scheme, arguing the president "deserves a second term to sustain and complete these reforms." He described Bolarinwa as "a tested leader with proven experience, broad acceptance and a strong grassroots connection."
The meetings ended with resolutions to mobilise support across all wards and engage traditional institutions ahead of the party primaries.
Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa is being sold to Kwara voters not on fresh ideas but on the promise of continuing Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq's "impactful development," a pitch that rings hollow in a state where unpaid workers and cratered roads are daily realities.
The choreographed endorsements from three separate local governments on the same day show the APC machinery is already in overdrive to crown a successor before the electorate gets a say, and the invocation of Tinubu's controversial economic reforms as a selling point betrays a party that confuses presidential loyalty with local relevance.
For ordinary Kwara residents, the early anointment means policy debates will be smothered by patronage politics; contracts, jobs and even classroom desks will hinge on which ward proves it can shout "Bolarinwa" loudest rather than which candidate can fix the state's 38% out-of-school rate.
This rush to close the 2027 gate mirrors the pattern in neighbouring states where governors-in-waiting are selected years ahead, turning elections into coronations and leaving voters with cardboard choices and real hunger.
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