The Chairman of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, Lukman Agbelere, has allegedly halted a multi-million naira hospital renovation project facilitated by the lawmaker representing Kwara Central, Senator Saliu Mustapha.
The project, a federal government intervention reportedly valued at N200 million, was targeted at upgrading a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Awodi, a community in Gambari Ward II of Ilorin East LGA.
In a video that surfaced online on Monday, Mr. Agbelere confirmed his decision to stop the project, citing political loyalty to the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Speaking in Yoruba, he described Senator Mustapha as an “enemy” of his political principal. “Ota oga mi, ota mi” — translated as “an enemy of my boss is my enemy,” he said.
The primary healthcare centre was listed among constituency projects facilitated by Senator Mustapha, the current Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, aimed at improving access to quality healthcare at the grassroots.
However, Mr. Agbelere, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), claimed that the local government council had the capacity to execute the renovation independently, adding that the decision to take over the project was in line with the state government’s directive on grassroots development.
“I won’t allow it. We’ll do it ourselves, there is no project the Senator facilitates that the council cannot achieve in a better fold,” the chairman declared, as he addressed a gathering in the now-viral video. He also responded to criticisms he said were aired during a local radio programme, where he was accused of obstructing development due to political rivalry.
Mr. Agbelere’s comments have sparked widespread reactions across the state, amid growing concerns over internal divisions within the ruling APC.
Political analysts have linked the development to a deepening rift between Senator Mustapha and the state governor, particularly as succession politics ahead of the 2027 governorship election begin to shape alliances and loyalties within the party.
Several residents and civil society groups have condemned the chairman’s actions, accusing him of placing political interests above public welfare.
The convener of the Good Governance Group, Alhaji Shola Muse, said the LGA Chairman’s action is sabotage of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the health and agriculture sectors.
“This is not the first time the senator’s projects have been cancelled. So far, the totality of the projects run into billions of naira. What they failed to realise is that these are not personal projects of the Senator but federal government projects for the development of the grassroots. So, the party, the federal government and ultimately the people are the ones on the receiving end.”
Observers note that the clash is the latest in a series of quiet tensions within the Kwara APC, raising questions about how intra-party politics may affect federal interventions in the state.
