Kwara 2027: APC Elders Caucus accuse AbdulRazaq of misleading Tinubu on Governorship polls

The Kwara State APC Elders Caucus has accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of failing to provide President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with an accurate picture of political realities in the state, warning that the party risks defeat if it proceeds with the candidature of Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danladi.

Addressing journalists in Ilorin on Monday, the elders said they could no longer remain silent, describing the APC in Kwara as being at a critical crossroads.

The elders, led by their Chairman, Chief James Bamisaiye Ayeni, JP; Senator Mohammed Ahmed (Kwara North), Senator Makanju Ajadi (Kwara South) and Hon. Salman Jawondo, SAN (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.
The caucus said that after extensive consultations across the state, it concluded that Danladi does not represent the strongest political option available to the party ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

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

While insisting they have no personal grievance against Danladi, the caucus argued that he is neither the most popular nor the most broadly acceptable candidate within the APC and lacks the statewide appeal needed to unite the party and confront a strengthening opposition.

The elders also faulted the process that produced Danladi, alleging that critical stakeholders, including aspirants, party elders and political office holders, were excluded from decisions that shaped the party’s future.

According to them, Governor AbdulRazaq should have provided President Tinubu with a more realistic assessment of the political situation in Kwara State rather than promoting a candidate who, in their view, lacks broad acceptance.

“It is our considered opinion that the Governor ought to have honestly provided a more realistic assessment of the political situation in the state to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC,” the statement said.

The group further alleged that endorsements and media campaigns surrounding Danladi were designed to create a false impression of popularity among stakeholders outside the state.

The elders therefore called on President Tinubu, APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and the National Working Committee to review the situation in Kwara and engage more broadly with stakeholders before it is too late.

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