By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Saliu Danladi, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State ahead of the 2027 general election.
Danladi secured a decisive victory in the party’s governorship primary held on Friday, polling more than 94,000 votes to defeat 14 other aspirants in the contest.
According to the results announced by the chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Supervisory Committee, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahya-Seriki finished second with 41,700 votes, while former Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, came third with 22,118 votes.
The primary election had initially been scheduled for Thursday but was postponed to Friday following consultations among party leaders amid heightened political tension within the ruling party.
Danladi’s victory comes despite Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s public endorsement of Yahya-Seriki days before the exercise, a development that had sparked widespread speculation about the likely outcome of the primary.
Political observers noted that the dynamics within the party shifted significantly between Thursday night and Friday morning, with growing support reportedly rallying behind the Speaker ahead of the vote.
At the venue of the official declaration of results, only Danladi, Professor Wale Sulaiman and Captain Mahmud were present among the aspirants.
Notably absent were Yahya-Seriki and 11 other contestants, a development that has fueled speculation about possible grievances over the conduct and outcome of the primary election.
Danladi’s emergence sets the stage for the APC’s campaign to retain control of Kwara State in the next governorship election. Party leaders are expected to intensify reconciliation efforts to unite supporters of the various aspirants following the keenly contested primary.
