Kwara APC Elders Reject Speaker as Governorship Candidate, Warn of Electoral Defeat

A group of elders from the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State has rejected the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the party's governorship candidate for the 2027 election. The elders, under the aegis of the Kwara State APC Elders Caucus, claimed that Danladi-Salihu's candidacy could cost the party victory in the state. They warned that retaining him as the party's flagbearer could lead to electoral defeat. The elders made this known in a statement issued after a press conference in Ilorin, where they urged President Bola Tinubu, the National Chairman of the APC, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, and members of the National Working Committee to revisit the outcome of the governorship primary. According to the chairman of the caucus, James Ayenioye, the intervention followed extensive consultations across Kwara's three senatorial districts and a review of the political implications of Danladi's candidacy. Ayenioye stated that many of the elders supported different aspirants during the governorship contest but set aside their preferences to evaluate the outcome based on what is best for the APC and Kwara State. The elders faulted the circumstances surrounding Danladi's emergence, insisting that the governorship primary did not reflect a credible electoral process. They expressed concern over Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's endorsement of Danladi and his subsequent presentation of the Speaker to the national leadership of the party. The caucus argued that Danladi's candidacy did not represent the strongest option available to the APC, citing his lack of statewide appeal required to secure victory in a highly competitive governorship election. They warned that the APC could no longer assume automatic victory, given the significant shift in the state's political dynamics. The elders accused the state leadership of failing to provide a realistic assessment of the political environment to the national leadership and the President. They urged the APC national leadership and Tinubu to intervene urgently to prevent an electoral setback in the state. The state chapter of the APC, however, dismissed the elders' position, describing it as false, misleading, and lacking official standing within the party structure. In a swift reaction, the party insisted that the elders' claims were unfounded and that Danladi-Salihu remained the party's governorship candidate. Another group of elders of the ruling party declared support for the emergence of the governorship candidate, saying it was in order. The PUNCH recalls that Danladi-Salihu was declared the winner of the APC governorship primary election on Friday, May 22, 2026, after polling 94,990 votes. The official results were announced in Ilorin by the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, Musiliu Obanikoro, securing Danladi-Salihu's ticket as the party's flagbearer for the 2027 gubernatorial election.