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The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has joined the 2027 governorship race in Kwara State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The development came to light following the circulation of an electronic campaign flyer, sighted on Saturday night, bearing the image of Mr Issa-Onilu and inscriptions announcing a 2027 governorship bid.
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The flyer carried the phrase “Kwara n re ’waju” and the inscription “Lanre Issa-Onilu for Kwara State Governor 2027,” showing the former APC National Publicity Secretary dressed in traditional attire.
Sources familiar with political developments in the state said the NOA chief had held consultations with key stakeholders and party leaders.
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When contacted on Sunday to verify the authenticity of the campaign material, Mr Issa-Onilu confirmed it in a brief response.
“Yes. It is,” he said when asked whether the flyer circulating on social media was genuine.
The development has stirred conversations within political circles in Kwara, as more politicians in the ruling party are believed to be weighing their chances.
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It would be recalled that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq recently disclosed that at least six aspirants in the APC are interested in succeeding him when his second term expires in May 2027.
Speaking during the party’s state congress in Ilorin, Mr AbdulRazaq said the ruling party already had multiple aspirants jostling for the ticket, but stressed that he had no anointed candidate.
Among those who have publicly declared their ambition are the senators for the Kwara south and north districts, Lola Ashiru and Umar Suleiman, respectively, and Yahaya Seriki.
Other APC members reportedly in the race but yet to formally declare include the Kwara Central district senator, Saliu Mustapha, and the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.
The governor has, however, dismissed speculations that he has endorsed or plans to anoint a successor, insisting that the APC will conduct an open and merit-based primary.
Mr AbdulRazaq denied growing rumours that he plans to back a candidate from the Kwara North district.
“For those who will contest and whoever eventually emerges, it is not about anyone anointing anybody.
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“We are not here to build a dynasty; we are here to build a legacy. Whoever succeeds me will build on this foundation and strive to do better,” he said.
Although he did not directly address zoning, his remarks were widely interpreted as a response to succession debates, particularly calls for power rotation among the three senatorial districts.
He stressed that whoever eventually succeeds him would emerge through the party’s democratic process, urging aspirants to maintain unity and healthy competition ahead of the party primaries.
Political observers say the emergence of campaign materials linked to Mr Issa-Onilu has widened the field of aspirants within the ruling party as politicking ahead of 2027 gradually gathers momentum.
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