Opinion | Going forward with APC in Kwara is sacrosanct

By Abdulquadri Jimba

Kwara State has experienced governance in different colours and forms. We have witnessed different political administrations and lived through different seasons of leadership, and this history gives us enough perspective to assess government beyond political sentiments. It gives us the opportunity to look at the records before us and ask a very simple question: where have we seen genuine progress and where should we go from here?

For me, going forward with the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State is sacrosanct because the present administration under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has demonstrated a clear commitment to building on what works while creating new opportunities for the people. The choice should therefore not be based solely on party loyalty but on what the government has done, what it is doing and what it is capable of achieving if given the opportunity to continue.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this administration is its deliberate inclusion of young people in governance. For too long, young people were treated mainly as political foot soldiers who were remembered when elections were approaching, but the present administration has changed that narrative by giving young Kwarans opportunities to serve and participate directly in government. Many young people have been entrusted with responsibilities that place them within the decision-making process, and that is significant because leadership should not be reserved for a particular generation. A government that empowers young people today is preparing a stronger and more capable generation of leaders for tomorrow.

Similarly, the APC administration in Kwara State created more room for women to participate in government by giving them opportunities to contribute meaningfully to governance and community development. This is beyond fulfilling a political obligation; it is a recognition of the immense capacity of women and the important role they must play in building a prosperous Kwara. When women are given the opportunity to lead and contribute, the benefits extend beyond government to families and communities across the state.

Infrastructure is another area where the present administration deserves recognition. Across 193 wards, we have seen interventions in roads and public facilities, with communities that had waited for years for government attention beginning to feel a stronger presence of government. Development cannot be meaningful if it remains concentrated within the state capital. It must reach the grassroots where ordinary people live and where the impact can be felt directly. This is why the spread of government interventions across different parts of the state remains an important part of the APC administration’s record.

In education, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq led administration has prioritised the sector by constructing classrooms, renovating schools and providing other interventions aimed at improving the learning environment for our children.

While the health sector is also getting attention of the administration through interventions in primary healthcare and efforts to make basic medical services more accessible. These may not always generate the loudest political conversations but they are the kind of interventions that quietly transform the lives of ordinary families and shape the future of society.

This is why the conversation about 2027 must go beyond political propaganda. The PDP and other opposition parties have every right to seek power because that is the essence of democracy, but seeking power comes with the responsibility to present a convincing alternative. Opposition parties must offer Kwarans more than criticism. They must tell the people what they intend to do differently and why Kwarans should abandon a direction that has already produced visible results.

Kwarans should therefore ask the opposition some fundamental questions. What is their plan for the youth? What is their agenda for women? What is their blueprint for education and healthcare? What is their strategy for infrastructure and security? How do they intend to consolidate the gains already made across the state? Most importantly, what is their record that gives Kwarans confidence that they can deliver better?

These questions are necessary because we must not allow partisan politics to distort our collective memory. We should not forget yesterday simply because another election is approaching and we should not dismiss today’s progress simply because another political party wants to return to power. Political parties will come with different promises but the people must remain discerning enough to separate political rhetoric from tangible performance.

Kwara needs stability and continuity. We need the good legacy to continue and we need a government that understands the journey so far and possesses the institutional experience to consolidate the gains already recorded. Development is not achieved through perpetual political disruption. It is achieved through consistency of vision and continuity of purpose.

We have seen different political administrations in Kwara and we have experienced their strengths and weaknesses. The choice before us should therefore be guided by wisdom rather than sentiment and by performance rather than empty promises. We should judge every political party by what it has done and what it is capable of doing for the people.

For me, the argument is clear. If the APC administration has provided greater opportunities for young people, created more space for women, invested in infrastructure, strengthened education and healthcare and continued to address security and grassroots development, then there is a compelling reason to preserve that direction while demanding even greater performance from the government.

Kwara deserves to move forward. We should protect the progress we have made and build upon it rather than constantly starting all over again whenever there is a change of political administration. Our collective future should not be surrendered to nostalgia or political expediency.

The people deserve continuity where continuity is producing results and they deserve leadership that can take the progress already recorded to an even greater height.

Abdulquadri Jimba writes from Jimba-Oja, Kwara State.