The Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, has warned President Bola Tinubu and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to exercise caution in considering the zoning of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket to Kwara North ahead of the 2027 elections.
Mr Suleiman’s intervention comes amid ongoing discussions within the ruling party over whether to rotate power to the northern zone of the state in line with calls for inclusivity and political balance.
In his remarks posted across his social media channels, the NILDS DG acknowledged that zoning and power rotation are important mechanisms for managing diversity in a state like Kwara State.
However, he emphasised that zoning must be weighed against electoral considerations.
“I am not against zoning or power rotation, and I understand the clamour by those who say it is their turn,” he said. “But the critical question is how zoning translates into electoral victory.”
According to him, political parties typically base such decisions on measurable factors, including voter population, political structures, and historical voting patterns.
Where these factors do not support a particular zone, he warned, zoning could weaken a party’s chances.
“No political party takes the risk of zoning to where it does not believe it has a competitive advantage,” he added.
Mr Suleiman referenced the 2023 general elections, noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made a strategic miscalculations and came back with a burnt fingers.
He said the party has now learnt its lessons and now zoning back to Kwara Central to gain the electoral advantage.
The NILDS DG also addressed calls from stakeholders in Kwara North, who have argued that zoning the governorship to the region would promote fairness and inclusion.
He described such demands as legitimate but cautioned that they must be considered within the broader objective of winning elections.
Mr Suleiman warned that decisions driven primarily by sentiment or a sense of obligation, rather than electoral viability, could expose the APC to unnecessary risks.
He urged party leaders, including the president and the governor, to carefully evaluate the political landscape before making a final decision.
“It will be risky to take a position that does not place the party in a comfortable position to win,” he said.
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