ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Tuesday moved swiftly to shut down mounting speculation over succession politics in Kwara State, declaring that he has not submitted the name of any governorship aspirant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The denial comes amid rising political whispers suggesting that the governor may have quietly anointed a preferred successor ahead of the next election cycle, a claim he now describes as outright false and a calculated attempt to smear his image.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Bashir Adigun, AbdulRazaq dismissed the reports in strong terms, urging party members and stakeholders not to be distracted.
“Reports that the name of any particular aspirant has been submitted to the President as the candidate for Kwara State Governor are false, malicious, and designed to blackmail Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq,” the statement read.
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Doubling down, the governor rejected any suggestion of interference in the race.
“We reject the blackmail outright. It is false to suggest that the Governor has submitted the name of any aspirant. Members and leaders of our party should ignore it,” Adigun added.
The statement also took aim at those fuelling the rumours, accusing them of deploying underhand tactics instead of engaging in legitimate political mobilisation.
“We urge party members and stakeholders to ignore the claims. All aspirants are encouraged to sell their legitimate aspirations to all relevant stakeholders.
“The time, energy, and resources being spent to blackmail others can be put to something better,” it concluded.
The development underscores the growing jostle for political positioning in Kwara, where early permutations for the next governorship race are already stirring tensions within party ranks.
By distancing himself from any endorsement, AbdulRazaq appears keen to project neutrality and maintain a level playing field at least publicly as aspirants begin to test their strength.
For now, the message from Ilorin is clear: the race is open, and no candidate has the governor’s official blessing.