Kwara APC Faces Crisis as Elders Clash Over Danladi‑Salihu’s Governorship Bid

There appears to be serious acrimony among elders and other stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State over the emergence of Engr. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, as the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, DAILY POST reports.

Indications to this effect emerged at a press conference held in Ilorin on Monday by some party elders and stakeholders, who condemned the choice of Danladi‑Salihu as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate, describing him as lacking the capability, competence, and charisma to fly the party’s flag.

Shortly after the group’s outburst, another group dismissed the earlier rejection of Engr. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, who is widely regarded as Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s preferred candidate among party members in the state.

According to the aggrieved group, “the APC candidate does not represent the strongest political option available to the party to win the 2027 governorship race in the state.”

The party elders warned that unless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the party intervene in the crisis arising from the Speaker’s candidacy, the APC may lose Kwara State to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The elders, led by Chief James Bamisaiye Ayenioye, declared that, aside from the Speaker lacking political goodwill, “the process that produced him is faulty and lacks credibility.”

The group disclosed that the manner in which Danladi was allegedly imposed on the party was condemnable and unacceptable, asserting that “the institution, APC, is being led towards avoidable danger.”

They alleged that the governorship primary election scheduled for May 21, 2026, never took place, stating that “the circumstances surrounding the result of the governorship primary election purportedly held in Kwara State have generated concerns among members and stakeholders across the state.

“The non‑existent primary election left much to be desired because one of the gubernatorial aspirants, Engr. Yakubu Salihu Danladi, the present speaker, who had earlier secured the ticket to return to the State Assembly, was surprisingly announced as the winner of the election that never took place.”

“We are therefore amazed, deeply disturbed, and concerned that the governor, who is the leader of the APC in Kwara State, upheld the purported victory of Danladi and went ahead to present him to the national leadership of the APC as the party’s governorship candidate in Kwara State,” they lamented.

However, in a counter‑reaction, another group of Kwara APC elders and stakeholders backing Danladi’s candidacy defended the outcome of the governorship primary election that produced Engr. Yakubu Danladi Salihu.

The group, at a separate press conference in Ilorin on Monday, declared support for the party’s governorship candidate and dismissed the position earlier taken by the Chief James Bamisaiye‑led group against his emergence.

The elders also assured President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC that Danladi‑Salihu enjoys broad support across the state, particularly among young voters, ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda Ambassadors, AbdulLateef Gidado Alakawa, described members of the opposing camp as individuals not recognised within the official party structure in the state.

“To say the least, those who addressed that press conference are interlopers who are not recognised by the APC structure in the state.”

“We would ordinarily not have dignified the claims of these individuals with a response, but there is a need to correct what we consider false narratives.”

“The general public is aware that our party conducted primaries for all elective offices, including the governorship ticket, in a peaceful atmosphere.”

“The result of the governorship primary was announced by the chairman of the panel sent from Abuja to conduct the exercise, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, at the Banquet Hall along Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin, on May 22, 2026.”

Alakawa said Danladi‑Salihu had since reached out to former contestants and embarked on visits to political stakeholders and traditional rulers across the state in a move aimed at strengthening party unity.

He also dismissed allegations that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq imposed the governorship candidate on the party.