The commencement of construction work on the new Oko-Olowo flyover in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sparked competing claims between Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the Senator representing Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha, over who facilitated the long-awaited project.

While Mustapha attributed the project’s commencement to his intervention on the floor of the Senate and subsequent engagements with Federal Government officials, AbdulRazaq said the development was the fulfilment of his administration’s longstanding advocacy dating back to 2019.

Mustapha, in a Facebook post on Friday accompanied by a video of his Senate intervention, said he had raised the Oko-Olowo Junction problem on the floor of the Senate and subsequently engaged the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, over the project.

“Exactly one year and 289 days ago, I stood on the floor of the Senate to draw urgent national attention to the situation at Oko-Olowo Junction and called for the construction of a flyover to address the persistent traffic congestion and recurring accidents along this important corridor,” Mustapha said.

He said he subsequently lobbied the ministers to ensure that the project was included in the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme.

“Today, I am delighted to share that construction work has commenced at the intersection. This is an important milestone, but it is also a reminder of what can be achieved when advocacy, collaboration and persistence come together in the service of our people,” the senator said.

Mustapha acknowledged the contributions of the Kwara State Government, members of the National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Works officials, transport unions, traditional and religious institutions, and community leaders.

He particularly commended President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Works and the Minister of State for Works for approving and facilitating the project.

However, AbdulRazaq, in a statement issued by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, said the state government had been advocating the construction of the flyover since 2019.

“Our advocacy on this bridge began since 2019. We again renewed this advocacy as the President settled down in the office in 2023,” the governor said.

AbdulRazaq recalled visiting Umahi in 2024 alongside Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and members of the National Assembly from Kwara to press for the construction of the flyover and the Ilorin-Lokoja Road through Omu-Aran.

“I recall visiting the Hon. Minister HE David Umahi in 2024 in company of His Excellency Governor of Kogi State Ahmed Usman Ododo, Hon. Mukhtar Shagaya and Hon. Ahmed Yinka Aluko to further press for urgent construction of the bridge as well as Ilorin-Lokoja Road via Omu-Aran,” he said.

The governor also recalled that Umahi, during a visit to Kwara in October 2025, assured the state that work on the project would commence soon.

“So what is happening today is a dream come true and a promise kept by the President and the Hon. Minister,” AbdulRazaq said.

He said the project would provide relief to residents and motorists who use the busy corridor and help protect lives and property.

“We are grateful, and we see this as an intentional effort to protect lives and property. It is a relief to tens of thousands of our people who live in that axis or travel along that road every other day,” he said.

The competing claims come amid an increasingly strained relationship between the two politicians as the 2027 political succession battle intensifies.

AbdulRazaq has been governor of Kwara since 2019, while Mustapha became the senator representing Kwara Central in 2023.

The disagreement between the two politicians became more pronounced as the 2027 succession battle intensified, with Mustapha seeking greater political influence ahead of the governorship contest.

The rivalry later culminated in Mustapha’s departure from the APC in August 2026 and his movement to the Peoples Democratic Party, where he subsequently secured the party’s Kwara Central senatorial ticket.

AbdulRazaq, who is completing his second term as governor, is also positioning to contest the Kwara Central senatorial election in 2027, potentially putting both politicians on opposing sides of the contest.

The latest disagreement over the Oko-Olowo project has therefore become another point of contention in the political rivalry between the two men.

Both politicians, however, acknowledged the role of President Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Works in the commencement of the project, while differing over their respective contributions to bringing it to fruition.

The Oko-Olowo Junction, one of the major approaches into Ilorin, has for years experienced heavy traffic and recurring accidents.

The flyover is expected to ease congestion, improve the movement of people and goods, and enhance safety along the corridor.