A group of governorship aspirants of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has rejected the emergence of the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election and called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the growing crisis within the party.
In a joint letter dated June 19 and addressed to the President, the aspirants expressed concern over developments in the Kwara APC, warning that the party’s electoral prospects could be jeopardised if the current situation is not addressed.
The letter was signed by 10 governorship aspirants, including Yahaya Seriki Gambari, Saliu Mustapha, Yahaya Oloriegbe, Dele Belgore, Omar Bio and Bashir Bolarinwa.
The aspirants reaffirmed their loyalty to President Tinubu and pledged support for his re-election bid in 2027, but argued that the gains recorded by the APC since the 2019 “O To Ge” political movement had not been fully consolidated under the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
They alleged that several key stakeholders who contributed to the party’s rise in the state had been sidelined from both government and party affairs.
According to the group, the exclusion of influential party members has weakened the APC’s support base and strengthened opposition forces ahead of future elections. They further claimed that Governor AbdulRazaq no longer possesses the political authority to determine the party’s future direction in the state.
The aspirants urged Tinubu to review the circumstances surrounding the APC governorship primary and assess the records, loyalty, capacity and statewide acceptability of all aspirants. They also pledged to support any consensus candidate acceptable to the President and the party leadership.
The controversy follows Danladi’s victory in the APC governorship primary held in May, where he secured 94,990 votes to emerge as the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 election.
The latest development comes days after the Kwara APC Elders Caucus also rejected Danladi’s candidacy, arguing that he lacks the statewide appeal needed to secure victory for the party in the next governorship election.
The elders urged the APC national leadership to revisit the outcome of the primary and broaden consultations with stakeholders across the state.
