The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in the state. Danladi was declared the winner of the party's governorship primary held at the Banquet Hall in Ilorin on Friday evening after polling 94,990 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, who secured 41,700 votes. Another aspirant, Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, garnered 22,118 votes.
The results were announced by Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, chairman of the APC governorship primary election committee in Kwara State. Obanikoro subsequently declared Danladi as the party's flagbearer for the 2027 governorship election. The outcome comes amid dramatic political developments within the Kwara APC in the last 72 hours.
Governor's Endorsement Shift
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had earlier publicly endorsed Yahaya Seriki as his preferred successor ahead of the primary election, insisting the decision followed consultations with party stakeholders across the state. In the endorsement statement released on Tuesday, the governor described Seriki as 'young, pro-people, astute and broad-minded,' while urging party members to support his aspiration for the sake of unity and continuity.
However, political calculations within the ruling party appeared to shift less than 24 hours before the primary, with strong indications emerging that the governor's camp had backed Danladi instead. The development sparked intense speculations within APC circles in Kwara, especially after party stakeholders loyal to the governor reportedly rallied support for the Speaker ahead of the final voting process.
Implications and Controversies
Danladi's emergence is expected to reshape the political dynamics within the APC, particularly among supporters of Yahaya Seriki and other governorship aspirants who had built extensive structures ahead of the primaries. The APC primary in Kwara had also been surrounded by controversies after the exercise was earlier suspended midway on Thursday before it was eventually concluded on Friday.
The primary election was keenly contested, with three main aspirants vying for the ticket. Danladi's victory consolidates his position as a key political figure in the state, while Seriki's camp may seek to regroup ahead of the general election. The APC now looks forward to a unified campaign to retain the governorship in 2027.
