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By Ayo Kehinde
The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 elections after notching a decisive victory in the party’s primary elections held across the state on Friday.
Danladi-Salihu polled more than 94,000 votes to defeat Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahya-Seriki, who garnered 41,700 votes, while former Kwara APC Chairman Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa came third with 22,118 votes.
The result was officially announced in Ilorin by Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Chairman of the Kwara APC Governorship Primary Election Supervisory Committee.
Danladi-Salihu’s emergence came amid weeks of intense political maneuvering, consultations and disagreements within the ruling party over choosing a successor to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Fresh confusion had erupted within the Kwara APC just 24 hours before the primaries after Governor AbdulRazaq reportedly abandoned businessman Ambassador Yahya-Seriki as his preferred successor and reverted to supporting Danladi-Salihu ahead of the exercise.
The governor’s sudden U-turn triggered uncertainty within the APC, particularly among party leaders and aspirants who believed that Yahya-Seriki had emerged as AbdulRazaq’s preferred choice following consultations in Lagos involving influential stakeholders within the party.
The decision to sack Yahya-Seriki has revived concerns over the governor’s succession strategy and the inability of the Kwara APC leadership to build consensus around a single candidate ahead of the primaries.
Party insiders said the confusion exacerbated existing divisions within the APC, which had already battled disagreements over zoning, consent agreements and the party’s political direction ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial election.
Governorship aspirants had earlier boycotted a strategy meeting called by Governor AbdulRazaq amid suspicions that the meeting was designed to prop up a favorite aspirant.
Of the 16 aspirants who purchased nomination forms, only Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN) reportedly attended the controversial meeting held in Ilorin, forcing its postponement.
The governor’s succession calculations also sparked controversy after he was reported to have repeatedly changed his preferred candidate during consultations involving party leaders in Ilorin, Lagos and Abuja.
Danladi-Salihu, who hails from Kwara North Senatorial District, was initially seen as the governor’s favorite aspirant before attention shifted at different times to Yahya-Seriki, former APC Chairman Bashir Bolarinwa and Senator Saliu Mustapha.
Stakeholders within the party had argued that the APC needed a candidate with strong electoral appeal who could take on the growing influence of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, whose political structure within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party is said to be regaining momentum ahead of the 2027 elections.
Despite internal tensions and a succession crisis, Danladi-Salihu secured overwhelming support during the primaries, cementing his position as the APC’s standard-bearer for the governorship contest.
Party sources described the result as a major political victory for Governor AbdulRazaq, whose insistence on producing a successor from Kwara North ultimately prevailed after weeks of uncertainty and resistance from other political blocs within the party.
Political observers, however, believe that the APC leadership is now faced with the challenge of reconciling aggrieved aspirants and uniting various factions ahead of the 2027 governorship elections.
Efforts are said to be underway to pacify the defeated aspirants and prevent further divisions within the ruling party.
“The primaries may be over, but the biggest task now is to rebuild unity within the APC. The competition has been intense and the leadership understands the need to bring everyone together ahead of the general elections,” the source said.
The governorship primaries have attracted widespread attention due to the unusually large number of aspirants and the strategic importance of Kwara State in the political calculations of both the APC and PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Danladi-Salihu’s supporters celebrated the result in some parts of Ilorin and other local government areas shortly after the results were announced, describing his rise as a victory for continuity and stability within the ruling party.
Meanwhile, opposition figures within the PDP argue that the APC primaries have exposed deep cracks within the ruling party and insisted that the contest for the governorship in 2027 will remain highly competitive.
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