I have just read a rejoinder by Kwara PDP’s Starboy, Onilemarun Abdulkareem, titled “Ajakaye, the Only Fact-Checker Kwara Must Heed, and Kwara North's Absurd Stakeholders.” Ordinarily, this is not the time for media back-and-forth, but I feel compelled to respond to the part that concerns Kwara North.
The rant by Onilemarun in the said piece is nothing but a desperate attempt to blackmail Kwara North leaders while hiding under the unfortunate security situation. The hypocrisy of Onilemarun and his PDP co-travelers is glaring: they pretend to care about our people, but in reality, they are simply trying to exploit our pains for political advantage.
Let it be clear: Kwara North will not turn its back on Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq because of a crisis that is far beyond the full powers of any state governor. Should Kwara North have risen in arms against the government instead of giving the authorities the chance to respond? Every government has faced its peculiar challenge, and insecurity is sadly Nigeria’s national nightmare. Yet PDP wants to twist this tragedy to push a selfish agenda.
Even in anger, Kwara North is not naïve. We know the limitations of a state governor when it comes to security matters. We are also satisfied that efforts are being made. The Governor is mobilising local structures and reaching out to the federal government for reinforcements. The Nigerian Air Force has launched airstrikes against the bandits, as widely reported. These are results, not rhetoric.
If Kwara PDP truly cares, they would have advanced alternative suggestions to address insecurity in the State they aspire to govern. But in their lazy attitude, they would rather attack the Governor and claim they are not the ones voted to protect the people. A truly caring party ought to know that one does not need to be in power to advance solutions if they have any. After all, there is a reason opposition parties are described as “alternative governments.”
It should be clear to the good people of Kwara State by now that Kwara PDP only wants to capitalize on sudden emergencies like insecurity to endear itself to the people and sneak back to power. Otherwise, a people-loving party does not sit idly and claim to have a magic wand to solve a problem, but one that it would only unveil if the people barter with their votes. That is not the way of genuine opposition. Opposition parties, at least those that truly love the people, are not just there to criticize the ruling party but also to provide citizens with another viable option for governance. But what solution has the Kwara PDP put forward to address the insecurity we face? None!
Moreover, if Onilemarun and the Kwara PDP had a modicum of fairness in their veins, they would not think the solution to insecurity lies squarely with Governor AA, nor would they condemn anyone who refuses to join them in attacking the Governor. Simple question: was there not a governor in Borno when Boko Haram ravaged the North East? Was there not a governor in Zamfara and Katsina when banditry turned those states into killing fields? Is there not still a governor in Plateau where attacks on villages continue to make headlines? In all these cases, the Federal Government had to step in with troops, air power, and intelligence before any real progress was made. Kwara is not an exception, and admitting this fact is not making excuses for Governor AbdulRazaq - it is simply stating the reality of Nigeria’s security architecture.
To further illustrate: when the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State spearheaded Amotekun as a regional security initiative, the Federal Government under then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, initially resisted its establishment, claiming it was unconstitutional. That resistance underscored the limited powers of governors regarding security. If Ondo could face such pushback, how much more Kwara? These are the realities unserious opposition figures like Onilemarun deliberately ignore just to score cheap political points.
But what is most shameful is the glaring strategy of the PDP to drag Kwara North’s legitimate quest for political justice into the unfortunate issue of insecurity. It is a deliberate attempt to blackmail our zone and weaken our agitation for fairness in power-sharing by tying it to the banditry crisis. We reject this manipulation with all the force of truth. Kwara North’s aspiration for the governorship is about equity and justice, not insecurity, and no amount of twisting will change that.
If the PDP was genuinely concerned about insecurity in Kwara, they would have shown moral leadership by postponing their recent Congress. How do you claim to mourn the dead while organising a full-blown political jamboree? Worse still, they went ahead to produce a new chairman from Kwara North, the same zone they now pretend to cry for. If their tears were real, that new chairman himself should have declined participation out of respect for the grieving people of his senatorial district. Instead, they carried on with politics as usual while shamelessly pointing fingers at others. This is not empathy; it is exploitation.
The irony is that the same PDP crying crocodile tears today had the opportunity for sixteen straight years to change the fortunes of Kwara North but did nothing. They neglected our roads, abandoned our communities, and left us in poverty and underdevelopment. Governor AbdulRazaq, in contrast, has been proactive - from creating the Forest Guards initiative (similar to Amotekun in Ondo) to constantly engaging federal forces until reinforcements and airstrikes arrived. Just today, Wednesday, the Kwara State Government announced heightened operations by combined security forces in border towns between Kogi and Kwara, where kidnappers are believed to be hiding. The government also urged residents, especially in Ekiti, Ifelodun, Isin, Oke Ero, and Irepodun LGAs, to be vigilant and restrict outdoor activities for now. That is real leadership, not PDP’s empty noise.
Kwara PDP expecting us to join them in abusing and cursing the Governor will not work. We know better, and our people are not fools. Abusing AbdulRazaq will not stop banditry, neither will cursing him restore peace. What Kwara needs is collective resolve, federal reinforcements, and the cooperation of all, not cheap partisan propaganda. We will say it again: Kwara North will not turn its back on Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq. We will stand with him until this crisis is over and our state is safe again. The PDP cannot love our people more than we do. Their attempt to exploit insecurity for political relevance is shameful, desperate, and dead on arrival.
At this critical moment, what Kwara needs is unity, not division. Kwara North will continue to support all genuine federal and state efforts to restore peace and secure our people. And let it be known: any opposition that tries to politicise bloodshed and sow division will only end up exposing its own desperation. Our focus remains on justice, fairness, and safety for all Kwarans, and no amount of blackmail will derail that.