Kwara State Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq has received an unexpected endorsement from Waziri Yakubu Gobir, the Young Progressives Party (YPP) gubernatorial candidate. In a statement issued Thursday after a brief meeting with the governor, Gobir announced that he was stepping down from the race in what he described as “the interest of the state.” He said he had engaged in extensive deliberations with Abdul Razaq over the past few weeks about how to move the state forward.
Gobir explained that the best way to achieve their shared goals was to forge alliances and combine ideologies. Accordingly, the YPP “adopts the incumbent Governor and gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq, in the upcoming gubernatorial election.” He emphasized that the decision was not taken lightly, noting weeks of discussion and a final concession that the governor would consider some policies from Gobir’s manifesto, “the State of Kwara,” alongside his own ten‑year Sustainable Development Plan (2021‑2030).
By conceding his candidacy, Gobir hopes that the action plan addressing the specific needs of 2,764 communities, 193 wards and 16 local government areas in Kwara will be integrated into the governor’s development agenda. He also indicated that, should Abdul Razaq win, his administration will accommodate allies, including members of the YPP.
“My fellow Kwarans, a new dawn is upon us, not just for our beloved state but for our nation as well,” Gobir declared. “With our support for Mallam Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq and President‑Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are convinced that Nigeria is about to commence a journey of renewed hope.”
Gobir’s move follows, by less than 24 hours, the defection of the People’s Democratic Party’s House of Representatives candidate for the February 25 election, Wahab Issa, and other senior PDP figures to the ruling APC.
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