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 commencement to his intervention on the floor of the Senate and subsequent engagements with Federal Government officials, AbdulRazaq said the project was the fulfilment of his administration’s longstanding advocacy dating back to 2019.
The development comes amid an enduring political disagreement between the governor and the senator, who were previously aligned within the All Progressives Congress before their relationship deteriorated as the struggle for political influence and the 2027 succession gathered momentum.
Mustapha, in a Facebook post on Friday accompanied by a video of his intervention in the Senate, said he had raised the Oko-Olowo Junction problem on the floor of the upper chamber 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 his intervention did not end with the Senate motion, adding that 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, however, acknowledged the contributions of the Kwara State Government, his colleagues in the National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Works officials in the state, transport unions, traditional and religious institutions, and community leaders.
He particularly commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the project and the Minister of Works and Minister of State for Works for translating the approval into action.
But in a statement issued on Thursday by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, AbdulRazaq 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 that he visited 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 regularly 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.
AbdulRazaq also expressed optimism that the Federal Government would expedite action on the state’s other requests, particularly the Ilorin-Lokoja Road through Omu-Aran.
The competing accounts have emerged against the backdrop of the increasingly strained relationship between the two politicians.
AbdulRazaq has been governor of Kwara since 2019, while Mustapha became the senator representing Kwara Central in 2023.
Mustapha had previously been a prominent APC figure in the state and was involved in the party’s political structure before his relationship with the governor became increasingly strained.
The disagreement became more pronounced as the 2027 political succession battle intensified, with Mustapha among the political figures seeking greater influence ahead of the governorship contest.
The crisis culminated in Mustapha’s departure from the APC in August 2026 and his movement into the Peoples Democratic Party, where he subsequently secured the party’s Kwara Central senatorial ticket.
AbdulRazaq, meanwhile, is completing his second term as governor and has been positioning to contest the Kwara Central senatorial election in 2027, making the two men potential direct political opponents.
Mustapha had earlier emerged as one of the prominent figures opposed to the governor’s preferred political succession arrangement within the APC, while AbdulRazaq’s camp maintained its support for Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, who won the APC governorship primary.
The political rivalry has increasingly extended to competing narratives over political influence and achievements in the state, making the latest disagreement over the Oko-Olowo project another point of contention.
However, both politicians have acknowledged President Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Works in connection with the project’s commencement, even though they differ over the role played by each of them in bringing it to fruition.
The Oko-Olowo Junction, located along one of the major approaches into Ilorin, has for years experienced heavy traffic, particularly during peak periods, while road users have also raised concerns over accidents around the busy intersection.
The construction of the flyover is expected to ease traffic congestion, improve the movement of people and goods, and enhance safety along the corridor.
