2027: Kwara ex-SDP candidate Lawal backs APC

Hakeem Lawal addressing the the press at a stakeholders engagement in Ilorin on Saturday...Credit: Toheeb Omotayo

Former Kwara State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Hakeem Lawal, has reaffirmed his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Lawal, son of the late former Kwara State Governor, Muhammad Lawal, stated this on Saturday in Ilorin, while formally declaring his support for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the APC’s governorship candidate, Yakubu Salihu-Danladi.

The declaration came months after Lawal returned to the APC, having contested the 2023 governorship election on the platform of the SDP.

The former governorship candidate said he had deliberately remained silent about his political position in recent months despite questions over his allegiance.

“I’ve been silent all the while and people have been asking where I belong, but I belong to the APC. For the opposition, let them remain in opposition for 40 years; for us, we will keep winning,” Lawal said.

He urged aggrieved members of the APC who had left the party to return, saying political opportunities would come to members at the appropriate time.

“Some people have tasted both, and they can see the difference. Let all of us come back to the party and work for victory. It is by turn, we will all benefit,” he said.

Lawal said Saturday’s gathering was organised to bring together old and new members of the political family, preserve the party’s legacy and enable members to reflect on their political journey while charting a common direction ahead of 2027.

He recalled that the APC had governed Kwara State until 2003 before spending 16 years in opposition and returning to power in 2019, saying the party’s stakeholders needed to unite as the current administration approached the end of its tenure.

Lawal also dismissed reports of a disagreement between the APC governorship candidate and his running mate, Kayode Alabi, describing the reports as propaganda and social media speculation.

“All that is propaganda. All that is social media talk. Don’t follow social media talk,” he said.

On the reported disagreement involving the G15, Lawal described the group as brothers and an integral part of the APC family, stressing that their differences would be resolved through dialogue.

“G15, they are our brothers. They are part of us. We are all together; we are in this struggle together,” he stated.

He acknowledged that disagreements were inevitable within a political family but expressed confidence that the APC would resolve its differences and remain united ahead of the elections.

The former SDP candidate further accused opposition parties of attempting to exploit the APC’s internal disagreements for political advantage, saying the party had experienced similar challenges in the past and overcome them.

“We have had misunderstandings in the past; we resolved them, and this will be no different from any other one. We will resolve it and move forward together,” he said.

Lawal also identified President Bola Tinubu as the national leader of the APC and AbdulRazaq as the party’s leader in Kwara State.

Also speaking at the gathering, the APC State Deputy Chairman, Abdullahi Samari, said the party remained in charge despite its current challenges and expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved before the 2027 elections.

“Things will be better than this before the election. It is a tough time for our party. But we will win the election because we are still in charge,” Samari said.

He urged party members not to confront those who had become aggrieved or left the APC but to persuade them to return to the party.

“When you see those who have left, don’t fight them, persuade them to come back,” he added.