Wike vs AbdulRazaq: Anifowoshe Discloses What APC Must Do
- An APC chieftain in Kwara State has spoken on the wave of defections hitting the party, including in the governor's ward and Offa
- Titilope Anifowoshe addressed Wike's public accusations against Governor AbdulRazaq and what they mean for the 2027 political landscape
- The APC chieftain issued a direct warning to the party over how it handles internal disagreements before the next general elections
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An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Kwara State has warned the party against misreading the wave of defections to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a sign of total collapse, while also urging the leadership to take internal grievances seriously before the 2027 general elections.
Titilope Anifowoshe, who spoke in an interview with Legit.ng, said the political situation in Kwara is more layered than a simple APC-versus-PDP contest.
Source: Twitter
Anifowoshe acknowledged that several lawmakers and party members have crossed to the PDP, and that grassroots defections have been recorded in parts of the state, including the governor's political ward and Offa. She said these signs should not be dismissed.
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"A serious political party must listen when members are unhappy," she said. "APC must be honest enough to acknowledge where it has internal problems and courageous enough to fix them."
However, she cautioned against the assumption that every defecting politician automatically takes their voters along.
"In Nigerian politics, politicians move. Voters sometimes don't," Anifowoshe said. "That distinction will become very important in 2027."
Wike's allegations and the 2027 calculation
On the public accusations made by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike against Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Anifowoshe described the situation as "politically fascinating." Wike had claimed that the governor was championing a campaign against him and connected that dispute to the movement of aggrieved APC politicians.
Anifowoshe said she would separate Wike's allegations from established facts, noting that they remain his claims and that the governor deserves an opportunity to respond.
She added that Wike's position on the matter makes one thing clear: he intends to play an active role in shaping the 2027 political structure, while maintaining that his broader goal is President Bola Tinubu's re-election.
APC told to reconcile and reorganise
Anifowoshe said the 2027 contest in Kwara goes beyond party rivalry and involves a deeper struggle over who controls the state's political machinery, who manages succession, and who emerges as the next generation of leadership.
She warned that personal disagreements among politicians must not be allowed to overshadow the party or the President's national agenda.
Her message to the APC in Kwara was direct: "Reconcile. Reorganise. Listen. Don't underestimate anybody. Don't take the electorate for granted. And don't confuse political structures with genuine public support."
She also urged party leaders not to respond to every internal disagreement with exclusion, arguing that a strong party is one where differences can be managed without damaging the institution itself.
"Kwara belongs to its people, not to any political dynasty, governor, minister, senator or party faction," she said. "I want APC to win. But I want us to win because we have earned the confidence of the people, not merely because we have the machinery."
Source: Twitter
Anifowoshe's full statement
Kwara is entering a very interesting political season, and I think people should resist the temptation to interpret every defection as the collapse of APC.
Yes, there are internal tensions. Yes, some lawmakers and party members have moved to the PDP.
There have also been reports of grassroots defections in parts of the state, including the governor's political ward and Offa.
Those developments should not be dismissed. A serious political party must listen when members are unhappy. APC must be honest enough to acknowledge where it has internal problems and courageous enough to fix them.
But I also wouldn't make the opposite mistake of assuming that every politician who defects automatically carries his electorate with him.
In Nigerian politics, politicians move. Voters sometimes don't.
That distinction will become very important in 2027.
On Wike's allegations against Governor AbdulRazaq, I find the situation politically fascinating. Wike has publicly accused the Kwara governor of championing a campaign against him and specifically linked the disagreement to the movement of aggrieved APC politicians. At the same time, Wike has maintained that his larger political objective remains President Tinubu's re-election.
I would therefore separate Wike's allegations from established facts. They are his claims, and Governor AbdulRazaq should have the opportunity to respond to them.
But politically, Wike has made one thing very clear: he intends to play an active role in the 2027 political architecture.
And that is where I think APC members in Kwara need to be strategic.
We cannot allow personal disagreements among politicians to become bigger than the party and bigger than the President's national project.
If somebody was elected on the APC platform and subsequently becomes dissatisfied with the party, there are constitutional and political mechanisms for addressing that. But there is also a moral question: what responsibility does a politician have to the platform through which he or she obtained political power?
At the same time, APC leadership must not respond to every disagreement with exclusion. A strong political party is not one where everybody agrees with the leader; it is one where disagreements can be managed without destroying the institution.
That is the lesson I would take from the current situation.
For Kwara specifically, I think the 2027 permutations are much deeper than APC versus PDP. There is a contest over who controls the political machinery, who determines succession, who retains grassroots structures and who emerges as the next generation of political leadership in the state.
Governor AbdulRazaq has a legitimate political interest in protecting the gains of his administration and ensuring continuity. Those around him have their own ambitions. The PDP and its returning political figures are trying to rebuild. Wike has demonstrated that he is prepared to intervene where he believes it serves the larger Tinubu project.
But ultimately, Kwara belongs to its people not to any political dynasty, governor, minister, senator or party faction.
As an APC member, I want APC to win. But I want us to win because we have earned the confidence of the people, not merely because we have the machinery.
So my message to APC in Kwara would be simple:
Reconcile. Reorganise. Listen. Don't underestimate anybody. Don't take the electorate for granted. And don't confuse political structures with genuine public support.
2027 is still a political lifetime away.
The smartest people in politics are not necessarily those making the loudest declarations today. They are those quietly building relationships, repairing bridges and understanding what the people actually want.
And that, ultimately, is where the Kwara election will be won or lost.
APC asks court to dismiss Atiku's suit
Legit.ng earlier reported that the APC and President Tinubu filed a joint counter affidavit on September 9, challenging the suit brought by Atiku Abubakar and the ADC.
Atiku and the ADC sought a court order to bar Tinubu and the APC from the 2027 presidential election over an allegedly forged NYSC certificate.
The APC's legal director argued that Atiku lacked the standing to challenge Tinubu's nomination since he took no part in the party's primary.
Source: Legit.ng
