{"id":30844,"date":"2026-05-12T09:01:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=30844"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:01:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:01:57","slug":"opposition-declared-dead-in-kwara-as-apc-aspirant-touts-governors-popularity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/12\/opposition-declared-dead-in-kwara-as-apc-aspirant-touts-governors-popularity\/","title":{"rendered":"Opposition Declared \u201cDead\u201d in Kwara as APC Aspirant Touts Governor\u2019s Popularity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ILORIN, Nigeria (AP), A striking political claim emerged in Kwara State on Monday when Abdulrasheed Akogun, an aspirant for the Share\/Oke\u2011Ode constituency seat in the State House of Assembly, declared that the opposition in the state was \u201cdead.\u201d His remarks came after participating in the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening exercise, where no fewer than 158 aspirants are vying for tickets across 24 constituencies ahead of Nigeria\u2019s 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The consolidation of APC\u2019s dominance in Kwara under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Analysts say the sheer number of aspirants signals confidence in the ruling party\u2019s machinery and underscores the governor\u2019s popularity, but also raises questions about the health of multiparty democracy in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a clear pointer to the purposeful leadership of Governor AbdulRazaq,\u201d Akogun said, praising the screening process as seamless and credible. He argued that securing the APC ticket already gives aspirants \u201can 80 percent advantage\u201d in the polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political observers caution against taking such claims at face value. \u201cWhile APC\u2019s strength in Kwara is undeniable, declaring the opposition dead is premature,\u201d said Dr. Ayo Olukotun, a Nigerian political analyst. \u201cOpposition parties often regroup closer to elections, and internal party rivalries can weaken ruling parties unexpectedly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrarian perspectives also highlight risks within APC itself. With 158 aspirants competing for limited tickets, intra\u2011party tensions could fracture unity. \u201cHigh numbers of aspirants are not always a sign of strength,\u201d noted Professor Zainab Musa of the University of Ilorin. \u201cThey can lead to bitter primaries, defections, and voter fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadening the lens, Kwara\u2019s political dynamics mirror wider trends in Africa where ruling parties often dominate state politics, raising concerns about democratic competition. International observers point out that Nigeria\u2019s 2027 elections will be closely watched for signs of political pluralism, especially as the country remains a bellwether for West Africa\u2019s democratic health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Nigeria prepares for another pivotal election cycle, Kwara\u2019s crowded APC field and bold declarations of opposition irrelevance highlight both the vibrancy and fragility of its democracy. In a state where one party claims near\u2011total dominance, the real test will be whether political competition survives beyond the ruling party\u2019s shadow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ILORIN, Nigeria (AP), A striking political claim emerged in Kwara State on Monday when Abdulrasheed Akogun, an aspirant for the Share\/Oke\u2011Ode constituency seat in the State House of Assembly, declared that the opposition in the state was \u201cdead.\u201d His remarks came after participating in the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening exercise, where no fewer than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2096,4,3,1138],"tags":[15549,15548,15550,15556,15553,15554,15551,15547,7784,15558,15552,15555,15557,15559],"class_list":["post-30844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","category-featured","category-naija-news","category-politics","tag-abdulrasheed-akogun-apc","tag-apc-aspirants-kwara","tag-governor-abdulrahman-abdulrazaq-leadership","tag-grassroots-mobilization-kwara-constituency","tag-house-of-assembly-screening-kwara","tag-intra-party-competition-apc","tag-kwara-opposition-politics","tag-kwara-state-politics","tag-nigeria-2027-elections","tag-nigeria-multiparty-democracy-challenges","tag-nigerian-democracy-west-africa","tag-political-dominance-ruling-party-nigeria","tag-share-oke-ode-constituency-election","tag-west-africa-political-trends"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30844"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30850,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30844\/revisions\/30850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}