The crisis surrounding the governorship succession battle within the Kwara State chapter of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, intensified on Friday as Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq dramatically withdrew his earlier endorsement of Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki-Gambari.
The governor announced his support for the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, shortly before the commencement of the party’s rescheduled governorship primary election on Friday.
The latest development has sharply divided the ruling party in the state, triggering tension, protests and fears of a major implosion within the APC just months before the 2027 election season enters full swing.
The unfolding drama comes after days of intense political horse-trading, pressure from influential party figures in Abuja, agitation for power shift to Kwara North, and intervention from the presidency which reportedly insisted on a transparent primary election rather than the imposition of a consensus candidate.
Party insiders told POLITICS DIGEST that Governor Abdulrazaq had initially settled for Ambassador Yahaya Seriki-Gambari, a prominent politician from Kwara Central, as his preferred successor, citing continuity and political loyalty.
The endorsement, publicly announced earlier in the week, immediately sparked outrage among stakeholders from Kwara North who argued that the region had remained politically marginalized since the creation of the state.
For months, political groups and APC leaders from the northern axis had intensified campaigns demanding that power shift to the region in the spirit of equity and fairness.
At the centre of the agitation was Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, who emerged as the rallying point for the power rotation movement.
Sources within the Government House disclosed that the governor had initially promised key northern stakeholders that power would shift to the region after his tenure, but mounting pressure allegedly came from influential forces within the Ilorin Emirate and loyalists backing Yahaya Seriki.
The governor’s endorsement of Seriki was therefore seen in some quarters as a betrayal of the earlier understanding.
However, the situation reportedly changed after powerful APC stakeholders escalated the matter to Abuja.
Former Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, popularly known as BOB, was said to have led consultations with top party leaders and presidency insiders to resist what they described as an attempt to impose a candidate on the party.
Sources said Bolarinwa secured the backing of influential APC figures including former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, and House of Representatives member, James Faleke, who reportedly pressed for a credible and competitive primary.
Multiple party insiders further claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu eventually intervened and directed that the process must remain open and democratic to avoid destabilizing the party in Kwara ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The message from Abuja was clear, there must be a proper primary. Nobody should impose candidates,” a senior APC source familiar with the development disclosed.
Facing mounting internal resistance and growing pressure from the presidency, Governor Abdulrazaq reportedly made a dramatic U-turn in the early hours of Friday by endorsing Speaker Danladi-Salihu as his preferred aspirant.
Also Read: Gov. Abdulrazaq endorses Seriki as his successor
The governor’s new position was subsequently amplified by his media aides and loyalists across the state, effectively signaling a shift in the balance of power within the APC governorship contest.
The reversal, however, has provoked outrage among supporters of Yahaya Seriki-Gambari, who had sensed danger on Thursday during the process of the primary election.
Hundreds of Seriki loyalists had reportedly stormed and blocked parts of the venue of the governorship primary in Ilorin, chanting solidarity songs and insisting that their candidate must emerge as the APC flagbearer.
Videos circulating online showed angry supporters shouting: “No Seriki, no election,” while security operatives battled to contain the growing unrest.
Eyewitnesses said tension heightened around the APC secretariat as delegates, party officials and journalists struggled to gain access to the venue amid fears of violence.
Security personnel comprising police operatives and officials of the Department of State Services, DSS, were later deployed to restore calm and prevent a total breakdown of law and order.
The development forced the APC to tighten security around the exercise after Thursday’s earlier disruption compelled the party to postpone the governorship primary from Thursday to Friday.
In a statement issued by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Abdulwaheed Babatunde, the party appealed to members and supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
The governorship contest has now become one of the fiercest internal political battles in Kwara APC since the party seized power from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019.
No fewer than 16 aspirants are contesting the APC governorship ticket, including former Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, Mohammed Omar Bio, Dele Belgore, SAN, Salihu Mustapha, Bashir Bolarinwa, Yahaya Seriki-Gambari and Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.
The race, political observers say, reflects deeper struggles over zoning, regional power balance and control of the APC structure in Kwara after Governor Abdulrazaq’s tenure.
Analysts warn that the handling of the governorship succession process may ultimately shape the ruling party’s stability ahead of the 2027 election, especially as the opposition PDP led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki continues to intensify political mobilization across the state.
For now, uncertainty hangs over the APC primary as rival camps remain locked in a fierce supremacy battle capable of redefining Kwara’s political future.
POLITICS DIGEST
