Salihu Mustapha

Kwara State Governor and All Progressives Congress senatorial district aspirant AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Monday received massive support from leaders, stalwarts and members of the party in the Kwara Central senatorial district primaries held across four local government areas of the district.

Governor AbdulRazaq is slugging it out with the serving Senator of the district, Mallam Saliu Mustapha despite earlier reports that he is not in the Senate race.

A new official APC document has shown that the Turaki of Ilorin actually obtained form and was cleared to run for the seat.

Visit to some polling stations showed a massive turnout of the party loyalists for candidate of their choice.

Addressing members of the party in Ibagun Ward, in Ilorin East Local Government, the Senior Adviser and Counsellor to the Governor Saadu Salahu said leaders and party faithful are united to ensure the success of APC at all levels in 2027.

“Here, we are in total support of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for the senatorial election. I want to assure our leaders President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq that Ibagun ward is fully with the APC. We shall deliver 100% in 2027 for the party. We are solidly behind the APC.

Speaking with journalists on the sideline of the primary election, a stalwart of the party and former member of House of Representatives Hon Abdulganiyu Cook Olododo said the contest between Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Senator Saliu Mustapha received impressive turnout of party loyalists in appreciation of the achievements of APC led government in the state and in the country.

“This is Ibagun Ward under Ilorin East. If you look at the turnout, there is no ward, whether primary, whether real election, in Ilorin East local government that can beat Ibagun Ward. We are always number one. With what happened today, you see that in Ibagun, there’s unity. Both the leaders and followers are one in APC.

“Two, what we are having today is a senatorial primary, where we have our leader, Governor of Kwara State, Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq contesting for the senator seat in the next coming election, 2027, with the sitting senator in person of Turaki Ngeri of Ilorin, Senator Saliu Mustapha.

“The turnout show that the governor is on ground. Saliu is from the Emirate too. Nobody denied that. But we have our leader and we know who’s our leader, the governor of the state. That is why you see the turnout. The figure shows who holds the ground,” the former SSG said.

For his part, a former chairman of Ilorin East Local Government, Alhaji Usman Bibire-Ajape said AbdulRazaq has done well for the state and he deserves the support he is getting from the party faithful.

“This area belongs to the APC. No doubt about that. Everything went on peacefully. His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had the day. We are ready to face candidates of other party. Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has done well for the state and he deserves the support he is getting from the party faithful,” he said.

A House of Representatives candidate Engr Abdulquawiy Olododo said AbdulRazaq polled overwhelming number of votes to defeat his lone challenger Senator Saliu Mustapha in his Ibagun ward.

“What has happened today is that confirmation in the belief on the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. The turnout is impressive here. The voted enmass for His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

“Despite the fact that we realised that the governor has an opponent, our people came out en mass in support of His Excellency. With what we have seen here in Ibagun Ward, in Ilorin East, in Kwara Central and the entire state, Governor AbdulRazaq is fully on ground,” Olododo explained.

Similarly, at Ubandawaki Ward in Ilorin West Local Government, a Chieftain of the party and former Non Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr Mohammed Ghali Alaaya praised members of the party for their loyalty to the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

At Badari Ward in Ilorin West Local Government, party stakeholders, including women and youths trooped out en mass to participate in the ongoing APC senatorial primary election between Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Senator Saliu Mustapha for the Kwara central ticket.

According to the results in the ward, Governor AbdulRazaq polled all the votes while Mustapha got zero vote.

The ongoing direct primaries show strong grassroots engagement and commitment to the democratic process.

The exercise has remained peaceful, orderly, and well-coordinated, with party members expressing confidence in the leadership and candidacy of Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for the Kwara Central Senatorial seat.

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.