ADC debunks allegation of party’s secret funding by Kwara Gov
* Says group’s claim puerile, false baseless
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A socio-political group in the Kwara North Senatorial District, under the aegis of ‘Kwara North Development Commission’ (KNDC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have engaged in a war of words over the group’s claim that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was secretly funding and strengthening the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, and signed by its President, Hon. Abdullahi Mansuma, and its Publicity Secretary, Hajia Zainabu Seko, alleged that the Governor was engaging in anti-party activities by covertly supporting and funding the ADC, while he was publicly leading his party, the All Progressives Congress.
The KNDC has, therefore, called on the national leadership of the APC to sanction AbdulRazaq, describing the alleged act as “dangerous political double-dealing”.
According to the group, credible intelligence and political developments indicated that the Governor was using the ADC as a decoy opposition and a platform to retain the political control of Kwara State by proxy, saying “that explained why prominent figures within the ADC in the State have consistently avoided criticising the APC-led government or highlighting what it described as governance lapses under AbdulRazaq’s administration”.
“We are bringing this to public knowledge because the people of Kwara deserve transparency. While the Governor postures as the leader of the APC in Kwara, he is allegedly using state resources to strengthen another party. This is the highest form of political betrayal,” the group added.
The group further alleged that the ADC’s state secretariat was secured with the backing of the Governor, describing it as part of a broader strategy to weaken the APC internally and block credible opposition ahead of future elections.
The KNDC also linked the alleged development to internal factional struggles within the APC at the national level, particularly between the Congress for Progressive Change bloc and the former Action Congress of Nigeria faction.
But, in a swift reaction to the allegation, a chieftain of the ADC and former Nigerian Ambassador to Japan, Prof. Isa Gana, dismissed the claim as puerile, false and baseless.
Gana, who was also a former Deputy Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, described the insinuation that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was funding the ADC as “a blatant lie”.
“As a stakeholder in the Kwara North Senatorial District, I am not even aware of such a group – Kwara North Development Commission – that is making these allegations against our party,” he queried.
He questioned the logic behind the claim, asking how a sitting APC Governor could be funding a rival party that was positioning itself to take over power in the State.
“How will Governor AbdulRazaq be funding a party that is out to wrest power from his own party, the APC?” Gana queried.
He stressed that the ADC was independently mobilising and working round the clock to provide an alternative leadership for Kwara State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“ADC is seriously working to offer Kwarans a credible alternative come 2027, and we are not part of any arrangement with the state governor,” he added.
Gana advised the KNDC to desist from what he described as unfounded allegations, insisting that the ADC was not being funded by Governor AbdulRazaq as claimed by the group.
