The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has thrown his weight behind Dr. Basir Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB), former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, as the preferred gubernatorial candidate for the party in the 2027 elections. Issa-Onilu made the appeal in a statement personally signed by him, urging all APC gubernatorial aspirants and party members to unite behind Bolarinwa. He described Bolarinwa as "a man that I believe truly deserves to be the next governor of Kwara state" and called for collective support across the party.
Issa-Onilu revealed he had withdrawn his own gubernatorial ambition to back Bolarinwa, praising the calibre of aspirants within the APC while stressing the need for unity. He credited the party's recent political gains in Kwara to the "Otoge Revolution" and expressed confidence in another victory in 2027. The NOA chief urged aspirants for national and state legislative positions to remain committed to party ideals and work together for electoral success. He commended the conduct of aspirants so far and framed the push for Bolarinwa as a matter of divine purpose and shared responsibility.
A sitting federal appointee openly backing a gubernatorial candidate years in advance is not about unity—it's a signal of early political consolidation. Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu's withdrawal from the race to support Dr. Basir Omolaja Bolarinwa gives Bolarinwa an early advantage with access to both grassroots networks and federal goodwill. For Kwara APC members, this means the contest may be less about performance and more about alignment. When top appointees pick sides this early, internal democracy often becomes secondary to momentum.
