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Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been thrown into fresh turmoil after the party’s elders’ caucus openly rejected the emergence of the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Salihu Danladi, as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The elders’ caucus is the apex advisory body formed to advise the Governor and guide the party in its activities.
Addressing journalists in Ilorin yesterday, the elders accused Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of misleading President Bola Tinubu on the true situation of the party in the state and warned that the party was heading towards electoral defeat if it proceeded with Danladi as its standard-bearer.
The elders, led by their chairman, Chief James Bamisaiye Ayeni, Senator Mohammed Ahmed (Kwara North), Senator Makanju Ajadi (Kwara South) and Salman Jawondo (Kwara Central), said they had decided to publicly intervene after exhausting internal mechanisms to no avail and watching what they described as a steady drift of the party towards political danger.
According to them, while they had remained loyal to the party and built it over the years, the current situation had reached a point where silence was no longer golden.
“We have invited you here today because we believe the APC in Kwara State is standing at a crossroads and that those who genuinely love the party can no longer afford the luxury of silence,” the caucus said.
The elders described themselves as the conscience of the party, saying they had consistently offered advice, guidance and constructive criticism to both the party and the government while working to preserve the progressive ideals that brought the APC to power in the state.
They said after statewide consultations, they have come to the conclusion that Danladi lacks the statewide appeal, acceptability and political strength required to unite the APC and effectively challenge an increasingly resurgent opposition.
“We do not believe that the purported emergence of Yakubu Salihu Danladi as the APC governorship candidate represents the strongest political option available to the party at this critical moment. Let us state clearly that we have no personal grievance against the person of Danladi. We do not begrudge his political aspirations and we do not question his right to seek higher office. Our concern is entirely political and strategic,” they said.
The elders further argued that Danladi was not the strongest candidate available to confront the developmental, economic and security challenges facing Kwara State They warned that the opposition had grown significantly stronger in recent years and that the APC could no longer rely on past electoral successes.
“Political realities have changed. Public expectations have changed. Voter behaviour has changed. The assumption that the APC can present any candidate and still coast to victory is not supported by the facts on the ground,” the group stated.
The caucus also took aim at Governor AbdulRazaq, accusing him of failing to provide President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC with an accurate assessment of the political realities in Kwara State.
According to the elders, the governor ought to have prioritised the collective interest of the party above personal considerations.
“The future of the APC is too important to be subordinated to the ambitions or the personal ego of the Governor or any other person for that matter,” they said.
The elders further alleged that the popularity and acceptability of Danladi’s candidacy had been exaggerated through orchestrated media campaigns and endorsements designed to create a misleading impression before stakeholders outside the state.
“The truth is that whatever media theatrics have been staged so far are merely attempts to create a false impression of acceptance where none exists,” the statement added.
The caucus also accused unnamed presidential aides of allegedly working behind the scenes to impose Danladi on the party.
“We are aware that certain influential aides in the presidency are actively working to foist this unpopular option on the APC in Kwara State in exchange for patronage and other pecuniary benefits now or in the foreseeable future,” they alleged.
The caucus appealed directly to President Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and members of the National Working Committee to urgently intervene.
They urged the national leadership to engage more broadly with stakeholders in Kwara and reassess the circumstances that produced Danladi’s candidacy before it was too late.
“We urge them to take a second look at the situation in Kwara State. We urge them to engage more broadly with stakeholders across the state and to consider the long-term health, stability and sustainability of the APC above all other considerations,” the elders said.
Despite their criticisms, the caucus reaffirmed its loyalty to President Tinubu and pledged continued support for his administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The development is the latest sign of deepening divisions within the Kwara APC following the controversial governorship primary and comes amid growing concerns among party stakeholders over the party’s chances in the 2027 governorship election.
