Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central in the National Assembly, has alleged that former Senate President Bukola Saraki is working to secure President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027, even as Saraki leads the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State. Mustapha made the claim on Channels Television's Politics Today on Friday, a day after defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP and securing the party's ticket for the Kwara Central senatorial seat.
Saraki's Role in the Rainbow Coalition
Mustapha said Saraki, a former Kwara State governor, is backing what he described as the "Rainbow Coalition" working towards Tinubu's re-election. He drew a comparison between Saraki's position and that of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who remains a PDP member while serving in the Tinubu administration. Mustapha stressed that his own membership of the PDP should not be read as opposition to the President at the national level.
According to The Punch, Mustapha added that Saraki was not contesting any elective position in 2027, which he said was relevant context for understanding the former Senate President's current political posture.
Battle Against the Kwara Governor
Mustapha said his defection was part of a broader collective move involving members of the G15, the Elders' Caucus, the TOPS and the Otoge Progressive movement in Kwara. According to him, the groups assessed several political parties before choosing the PDP, specifically the faction loyal to Wike, as the most suitable platform for the 2027 elections.
Asked directly whether the group's fight was against Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Mustapha replied, "precisely." He said the central grievance was the governor's alleged failure to consult key stakeholders before the emergence of House of Assembly Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu as the APC governorship candidate. Mustapha also claimed the governor had initially put forward Ambassador Yahaya Seriki as his preferred candidate before the Speaker surfaced as the choice within 48 hours, a sequence he described as contributing to the groups' decision to seek an alternative platform.
Mustapha rejected suggestions that Danladi's emergence had the backing of the Presidency. He also dismissed arguments that the 2027 governorship contest should be settled by zoning, saying that competence, not rotation, has historically driven political outcomes in Kwara State.
Former APC Senator Joins PDP
Legit.ng earlier reported that Senator Saliu Mustapha picked the PDP senatorial nomination form on Friday, hours after announcing his resignation from the APC. Mustapha's move sets up a direct 2027 electoral clash with Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who holds the APC ticket for the same district. Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and opposition stakeholders were reportedly involved in courting the senator to the PDP.
