Ilorin:A former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Kwara State, Basambo Abubakar, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He has declared his support for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the party’s governorship candidate, Salihu Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, and other APC candidates in anticipation of the 2027 general elections.
According to Voice of Nigeria, Abubakar, who ran for the governorship position in the 2023 elections under the LP and previously served as the Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kwara State, announced his defection during a visit to Danladi-Salihu at his residence in the state capital, Ilorin.
The former candidate reportedly joined the ruling party with thousands of his supporters, describing the APC as the dominant party in the state. He urged the residents of Kwara to unite across political lines to consolidate the successes of the Otoge movement, which brought the APC to power in 2019.
Abubakar emphasized the achievements associated with the Otoge movement, encouraging residents to support the ruling party and its candidates in the upcoming elections. He committed to backing the political aspirations of Governor AbdulRazaq and Danladi-Salihu and vowed to rally support for other APC candidates throughout the state.
He called on his supporters and other political stakeholders to focus on strengthening the APC’s grassroots structures, highlighting the importance of collective action in maintaining the political trajectory set by the Otoge movement. This defection is seen as a part of the ongoing political realignment as parties and politicians work to expand their support and improve their electoral chances in Kwara for the 2027 elections.