The Kwara Christian community has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to ensure fairness, inclusiveness and equity in the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The group’s spokesman, Felix Ajide, made the appeal on Monday in Ilorin while addressing journalists on behalf of the Kwara APC Christian community.

Mr Ajide said the group’s recent open letter to President Tinubu was not intended to promote religious division but to advocate a balanced political arrangement in the state.

According to him, the Christian community has contributed significantly to the political development, peace and stability of Kwara and has continued to maintain cordial relations with Muslims and other stakeholders.

“Our appeal is not about religion or replacing competence with sentiment. It is about ensuring that competent individuals are given equal opportunities within an inclusive political framework,” he said.

Mr Ajide said findings by the African Polling Institute (API) showed that Kwarans were willing to support competent candidates, irrespective of religious affiliation.

He said the survey indicated that about 90 per cent of Muslim respondents were willing to support a competent Christian candidate, while a similar percentage of Christian respondents expressed readiness to vote for a qualified Muslim candidate.

He added that the findings demonstrated that merit, character and competence remained the major considerations of voters in the state.

Mr Ajide said discussions ahead of the 2027 governorship election should focus on identifying leaders capable of uniting the people and driving sustainable development.

He maintained that the APC has competent Christian aspirants with the experience, education and capacity to govern the state effectively.

“Our plea is not a rejection of any section of society. It is a call for fairness, equity and a leadership arrangement that gives every segment of Kwara a sense of belonging,” he added.

He expressed confidence that President Tinubu, whom he described as a leader committed to equity and inclusiveness, would give due consideration to the appeal.

Mr Ajide reaffirmed the Christian community’s commitment to peaceful coexistence with Muslims and to supporting a democratic process that would produce a people-centred and visionary leadership for the state.

He appealed to both the president and the governor to support the emergence of a competent Christian governor in 2027, saying it was in the overall interest of justice, fairness, unity, and the continued progress of Kwara State.

(NAN)