Popoola dumps APC, says Abdulrazaq mismanaging security in Kwara

A former Kwara lawmaker and leading light of the Otoge revolt, Hon. Saheed Popoola, has accused Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq of mishandling security and exposing rural communities to banditry and kidnappings.

Popoola, who formally defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at a rally in Offa yesterday, said Kwara’s long-standing reputation for peace has been eroded under the present administration.

He told supporters that banditry, previously unknown in the state, took root only after Abdulrazaq allegedly abandoned governance principles and shut out key stakeholders.

“Since Kwara was created in 1967, we never had issues of banditry. But today, hundreds of our people have been kidnapped or killed because this government lacks direction,” Popoola said.

He accused the governor of failing to consult traditional rulers and community leaders in flashpoint border communities such as Baruten, Kaiama, Ifelodun and Patigi, where abductions have intensified.

“Abdulrazaq has abandoned those who fought for Otoge. He runs Kwara like a private firm and the people are paying the price,” he said.

Popoola, a frontline figure in the 2019 upset that toppled PDP rule in the state, declared that the present administration has betrayed the founding ideals of the Otoge project — transparency, collective decision-making and people-based reforms.

APC replies

But the APC dismissed Popoola’s claims as “cheap blackmail” by a bitter defector.

The party’s spokesman, Waheed Babatunde, said the Abdulrazaq administration has made significant security interventions and remains committed to safeguarding lives and property.

“Governor Abdulrazaq has supported security agencies with logistics and strengthened cooperation with community vigilantes to keep Kwara safe,” he said.

Popoola’s defection comes amid renewed public anxiety over rising cases of kidnappings and killings in rural parts of the state.