Kwara: How two APC aspirants were anointed within hours for 2027 guber race

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Kwara State may have concluded, but the intrigue, suspense, and high‑wire manipulation that marked the exercise remain vivid in the collective memory.

Nearly 17 aspirants expressed keen interest in contesting the party’s primary for the gubernatorial ticket.

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had previously stated that he would prefer the next governor under the APC platform to come from Kwara North Senatorial District, a region that has long been sidelined in the state’s political history.

Consequently, speculation about Abdulrazaq’s successor focused on the current Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Engr Yakubu Danladi Salihu, as the likely heir apparent.

Daily Post reports that the names of three prominent aspirants—Senator Salihu Mustapha, Bashir Bolarinwa, and Femi Araba—had circulated widely among party members in the state before the primary, with insinuations that the presidency had an interest in a particular aspirant close to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

This narrative prevailed until a few hours before the governorship primary when Governor Abdulrazaq publicly named Yahaya Seriki as his preferred successor, a move that sent shockwaves through party members and political observers in the state.

Amid the confusion, reports said the governor summoned all aspirants to a meeting at the Banquet Hall, Government House in Ilorin, last Thursday. Only one aspirant, Barrister Belgore, attended, while the others boycotted the meeting.

The aborted banquet was followed by announcements from aspirants denying their purported withdrawal from the primary election.

In addition to the Director General of the National Legislative Institute, Abuja, Professor Abubakar Suleiman, who announced his withdrawal, all other aspirants declared they were still in the race, further confusing the party’s loyalists in the state.

The aggrieved aspirants opted for a direct primary rather than the consensus arrangement favored by the party leadership at both national and state levels.

Tension escalated when the Thursday primary, conducted through a direct primary, was abruptly halted by the national leadership of the party while it was ongoing.

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who announced the cancellation, disclosed that Friday, the following day, had been scheduled for the primary election exercise, citing logistical issues as the reason for the delay.

The primary election was eventually held on Friday, with Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu emerging as the winner, defying all prior speculation within the party.

Chairman of the primary election, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, announced the results at the Banquet Hall. Yakubu Danladi polled 94,990 votes, beating his closest challenger, Yahaya Seriki, who scored 41,700, and Dr Bashir Bolarinwa, who received 22,118 votes.

The results for the other candidates were as follows: Engr Femi Sani—5,519 votes; Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe—3,920 votes; Barrister Mohammed Dele Belgore—3,411 votes; Mohammed Bio—1,122 votes; Dr Alabi Oluwatoyin—1,099 votes; Professor Wale Suleiman—2,434 votes; and Professor Abubakar Suleiman—1,722 votes.