2027: ‘Mama Oyoyo’ joins Kwara guber race

A former Commissioner in Kwara State, Mahalia Aisha Ahman-Pategi, has formally declared her intention to contest the 2027 governorship election under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Daily Trust reports that her entry adds to the growing number of aspirants from the district. Senator representing Kwara North, Sadiq Umar, speaker, Kwara State House […]

A former Commissioner in Kwara State, Mahalia Aisha Ahman-Pategi, has formally declared her intention to contest the 2027 governorship election under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Daily Trust reports that her entry adds to the growing number of aspirants from the district.

Senator representing Kwara North, Sadiq Umar, speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Bio Umar, and Makama Lafiagi Alhaji Tajudeen Audu among others.

She will be joining other Kwara Central aspirants who has already declared for the race.

Ahman-Pategi, popularly called Mama Oyoyo by supporters, made the declaration before a large gathering of party loyalists and supporters on Sunday.

She described her ambition as a response to popular demand and a call to service.

“Today is a moment of destiny, a moment where courage meets purpose and where the voice of the people rises above fear,” she said while announcing her bid.

The aspirant said her administration, if elected, would focus on inclusive governance, job creation and economic empowerment, anchored on a people-driven development agenda.

She pledged investments in youth development, agriculture, industrial growth, energy and infrastructure, while promising to place women at the centre of governance and social welfare interventions.

“Our youth are not a problem to manage; they are a force to unleash,” she said, adding that her vision was to create opportunities capable of translating into security, stability and growth.

Using the campaign mantra, A New Dawn, A New Hope and A New Kwara, Ahman-Pategi described her governorship aspiration as “a movement built on hope and unity,” insisting that governance must serve ordinary citizens rather than privileged interests.

“Kwara belongs to us all, not to a few,” she declared.

She also said her ambition was not aimed at disrupting the political order in the state, but at building on the foundations laid by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, while aligning with the broader Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

“Leadership is a continuum. We are not starting from zero. We are building on a foundation,” she said.

The declaration drew endorsements from key stakeholders, including former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Ezekiel Benjamin-Issa, and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Jerry Kolo, who described the aspirant as possessing the credibility, experience and capacity to govern the state.

Benjamin-Issa said her emergence represented a significant moment in the state’s political evolution, particularly amid growing demands that the governorship should rotate to Kwara North in 2027.

Earlier, Ahman-Pategi had submitted her letter of intent to contest the governorship to the leadership of the APC in the state.

Accompanied by supporters and loyalists from across the state, she visited the APC secretariat to formally notify the party of her aspiration.

Responding, state APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, praised her for the visit and assured all aspirants of fairness in the contest.

He said the party would provide a level playing field for all contestants.