Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has been linked with a possible showdown against incumbent Senator Saliu Mustapha in today’s All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election for Kwara Central Senatorial District.
The development followed reports that Senator Mustapha was granted a last-minute clearance by the APC to contest the senatorial ticket, a move that immediately stirred political tension and uncertainty within the ruling party in Kwara State.
Documents reportedly sighted by this medium indicated that the senator had been cleared to participate in the primary election despite earlier speculations surrounding his eligibility for the contest.
The reported clearance significantly reshaped the political atmosphere within the APC, with party stakeholders closely monitoring what could become one of the party’s most dramatic internal contests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sources familiar with the development claimed that Senator Mustapha, who had earlier declared interest in the governorship race, decided to return to the Senate contest, thereby setting up a direct battle with Governor AbdulRazaq for the Kwara Central ticket.
The primary election is expected to hold across the 52 wards in Kwara Central Senatorial District, covering Asa, Ilorin East, Ilorin South and Ilorin West local government areas.
However, the senator’s camp has dismissed the reports as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Media Assistant to Senator Mustapha, Nasif Sholagberu, described the purported list of aspirants circulating online as “forged, fake, misleading and of no consequence.”
According to the statement, Senator Mustapha officially obtained APC nomination forms to contest for the governorship of Kwara State in the 2027 general elections and did not obtain forms for the Senate race.
“At no time did Senator Saliu Mustapha obtain nomination forms for the Senate, neither did he participate in or undergo any screening process for the Senatorial contest,” the statement read.
The statement further challenged anyone with contrary evidence to make it public, while urging party members and supporters to disregard what it described as misinformation allegedly being circulated to create confusion within the APC.
Despite the denial, the controversy surrounding the Kwara Central APC senatorial primary has continued to generate widespread political interest across the state.
