Kwara APC Elders Reject Guber Candidate, Urge Tinubu, Party Leaders to Intervene

Kwara APC Elders Reject Guber Candidate, Urge Tinubu, Party Leaders to Intervene

 

 

A group of influential elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has openly challenged the emergence of the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election, warning that the decision could jeopardise the ruling party’s chances of retaining power in the state.

 

The Kwara State APC Elders Caucus on Monday expressed strong reservations over the emergence of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Engr. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, as the party’s governorship candidate, describing the process that produced him as deeply flawed and politically risky.

 

Addressing a world press conference in Ilorin, the caucus said the governorship primary election purportedly held by the party on May 22, 2026, failed to reflect the wishes of party members and stakeholders across the state.

 

The elders claimed that the primary, initially scheduled for May 21, was postponed under unclear circumstances and that Danladi was eventually declared winner of an election they alleged never took place.

 

According to the caucus, they had initially accepted the outcome of the primary process and reviewed it from the perspective of what would be best for the APC and Kwara State. However, after consultations with party members and stakeholders across the three senatorial districts, they concluded that Danladi was not the strongest candidate available to the party.

 

“We do not believe that the purported emergence of Hon. Engr. Yakubu Salihu Danladi represents the strongest political option available to the party at this critical moment,” the elders stated.

 

They stressed that their opposition was not driven by personal grievances against the Speaker but by concerns over his perceived lack of statewide appeal and ability to unite the party ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

 

The caucus further argued that the political landscape in Kwara had changed significantly and warned against assumptions that the APC could secure victory regardless of the candidate it presented.

 

The elders also faulted Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, whom they described as the leader of the APC in the state, for allegedly presenting Danladi to the national leadership of the party without adequate consultation with critical stakeholders.

 

According to them, many party elders, aspirants and political office holders were sidelined in decisions that would ultimately shape the future of the party in the state.

 

The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC National Chairman Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and members of the National Working Committee to re-examine the situation in Kwara State and engage more broadly with stakeholders before final decisions are made.

 

They also alleged that some influential presidential aides were working to impose what they described as an unpopular candidate on the party in exchange for political patronage and other benefits.

 

Despite their criticisms, the elders reaffirmed their loyalty to President Tinubu and pledged continued support for his Renewed Hope Agenda and re-election bid in 2027.

 

The press conference was contained in a statement titled “Text of a World Press Conference by the Kwara State APC Elders Caucus” and was signed by Sir (Dr.) Chief James Bamisaiye Ayenioye, JP, Chairman, on behalf of members of the Kwara State APC Elders Caucus.