The crisis within the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deepened on Monday as rival elders’ groups took opposing positions on the party’s governorship primary that produced Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi as candidate for the 2027 election. While one group of APC elders and stakeholders in Ilorin……
The crisis within the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deepened on Monday as rival elders’ groups took opposing positions on the party’s governorship primary that produced Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi as candidate for the 2027 election.
While one group of APC elders and stakeholders in Ilorin endorsed Danladi and defended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over allegations of imposition, another caucus rejected the outcome of the primary, describing the process as flawed and lacking legitimacy.
Addressing journalists in Ilorin, the pro-Danladi stakeholders said the May 22 governorship primary was peaceful, transparent, and duly supervised by a committee sent by the APC national leadership.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Chairman of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Lateef Alakawa, said Danladi emerged as the clear winner among nine aspirants, insisting that criticisms of the process were driven by “envy and dissatisfaction among supporters of defeated aspirants.”
“The May 22 governorship primary was peaceful, transparent and supervised by a committee sent by the APC national leadership,” the group stated.
They further defended Governor AbdulRazaq, dismissing allegations that he imposed a candidate, and maintaining that the governor only respected the outcome of a credible exercise.
According to them, Danladi has already begun consultations with party leaders and traditional rulers across the state, urging aggrieved members to close ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, in a swift reaction, a different APC elders’ caucus rejected Danladi’s emergence, alleging that the primary lacked inclusiveness and credibility.
The group’s Chairman, Chief James Ayeni, said the exercise that produced the Speaker was fraught with irregularities and did not reflect the true will of party stakeholders across the state.
Also speaking, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Salmon Jawondo (SAN), described the process as “daylight robbery,” insisting that no valid primary election was conducted.
The dissenting elders also faulted Governor AbdulRazaq’s acceptance of the outcome, warning that the development could undermine the party’s chances in the next governorship election if not urgently addressed.
They urged the national leadership of the APC and President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the interest of party unity and electoral survival.