Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has sacked his Principal Private Secretary, Oloyin Abdullateef, days after the aide publicly warned against imposing a successor for the 2027 governorship race.
The dismissal was announced on June 29, 2026, as part of what the government called a minor cabinet reshuffle. The statement, signed by Deputy Chief Press Secretary Mashood AbdulRafiu Agboola, said the changes affected all Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, the Deputy Chief of Staff, and the PPS. The government described it as a routine reorganisation to allow more APC members to serve. All affected officials were ordered to hand over government property to the Secretary to the State Government.
Political observers in Kwara link Abdullateef’s removal to his June 17 statement titled “2027 Kwara Governorship: The Danger of Building Another Political Dynasty in Kwara State.”
In the statement, Abdullateef criticised alleged moves to position House of Assembly Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi as the governor’s preferred successor. He said handing the APC ticket to a perceived anointed candidate would betray the 2019 “O To Ge” movement that ended the Saraki political dynasty.
“The slogan ‘O To Ge’ was not merely a campaign mantra. It represented the collective determination of Kwarans to dismantle political godfatherism and prevent the emergence of another political dynasty,” Abdullateef wrote. He argued that no individual, family, or group should “permanently appropriate the destiny of the state.”
He added that the issue was not Danladi’s personality, but the risk of replacing one form of political domination with another. Abdullateef warned that imposition could cause internal sabotage, defections, low voter turnout, and a fractured party structure.
He also questioned Danladi’s electoral appeal beyond legislative circles and cautioned that APC members, opposition parties, youth groups, and civil society could unite against the ruling party if the process is not open.
Abdullateef urged the APC to adopt a competitive selection process based on merit and popular choice, rather than political endorsement.
The AbdulRazaq administration came to power in 2019 on the back of the “O To Ge” revolt against the long-standing Saraki political structure.
