May 19, (THEWILL) — A deepening succession crisis has engulfed the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress following mounting disagreements over the emergence of a consensus governorship candidate ahead of the party’s 2027 primaries.
The crisis, which has exposed widening cracks within the ruling party, intensified after most of the 16 governorship aspirants boycotted a strategic meeting convened by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq amid fears that the gathering was designed to impose a preferred successor on the party.
THEWILL learned that out of the 16 governorship aspirants who purchased nomination forms, only Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN) attended the controversial meeting held in Ilorin on Thursday, forcing the session to be postponed.
Party insiders said suspicion grew among the aspirants after information emerged that the meeting could culminate in an endorsement process for the governor’s preferred aspirant.
The succession battle has become more contentious following claims that Governor AbdulRazaq rejected several leading contenders recommended by influential stakeholders in Abuja and Kwara because of his insistence on producing a successor from the Kwara North Senatorial District.
The APC governorship aspirants include Senator Saliu Mustapha, Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, Mallam Yahaya Abdulfatai Seriki, Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), Olufemi Sanni, Mohammed Omar Bio, Dr Alabi Oluwatoyin Tajudeen, Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, Tajudeen Audu AbdulKadir, Dr Azeez Salako Muyideen, Ibrahim Mahmoud, Yetunde Musiliat Bello, Mahalia Aishatu Ahman-Pategi and Professor Olawale Adeniyi Suleiman
Sources disclosed that the governor initially backed the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, from Kwara North, but concerns over the district’s limited voting strength weakened support for the proposal.
Attention later shifted to former Kwara APC Chairman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, from Kwara South Senatorial District, after consultations among party stakeholders. However, the governor reportedly opposed the move because of strained political relations with the former party chairman.
According to a report by The Nation, the development has unsettled President Bola Tinubu and senior APC leaders, who are said to be worried about the inability of stakeholders in Kwara to agree on a formidable candidate capable of retaining the state for the ruling party in 2027.
But as pressure mounted within the party, influential figures led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio were said to have proposed Senator Saliu Mustapha from Kwara Central Senatorial District as a strong candidate during a meeting with President Tinubu in Lagos.
Checks by THEWILL revealed that during the meeting, stakeholders agreed that Mustapha possessed the political strength and grassroots appeal needed to confront the growing influence of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, whose political structure is reportedly regaining momentum across the state.
The meeting, which Senator Ned Nwoko also attended, reportedly endorsed his return bid for the Delta North Senatorial seat, while also backing former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, for Delta Central.
However, sources claimed that Governor AbdulRazaq declined to support Mustapha’s emergence, a development that prompted further consultations with President Tinubu in Lagos, where businessman Mallam Yahaya Abdulfatai Seriki later emerged as the governor’s preferred choice.
The move has, however, triggered fresh controversy within the party, with critics questioning Seriki’s political experience and electoral viability. Party sources noted that Seriki had neither contested for elective office nor held any political appointment before his sudden emergence in the succession calculations.
A senior APC source familiar with the ongoing consultations said the governor’s handling of the succession process had created uncertainty within the party at a politically sensitive period.
“The challenge before the APC now is to close ranks and produce a candidate with genuine electoral strength instead of deepening divisions through imposition politics”, the source said.
Another source warned that the prolonged disagreement could weaken the APC ahead of the 2027 election, particularly as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party continues to reorganise across the state.
“The reality is that Kwara Central remains the battleground for 2027. The APC needs a candidate who can withstand the PDP structure and neutralise Saraki’s influence”, the source added.
THEWILL gathered that meetings involving stakeholders and consultants were held in Ilorin, Lagos and Abuja in recent weeks without producing a consensus around any aspirant.
Further investigations showed that the notice convening the Thursday meeting with governorship aspirants was signed by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Olawale Babatunde, on May 13, 2026. The notice described the session as a “strategic engagement ahead of upcoming party primaries” and directed aspirants to attend with one individual each.
Several aspirants, however, confirmed that they deliberately stayed away from the meeting because of concerns surrounding its true purpose and the short notice issued to participants.
One of the aspirants reportedly said some party leaders were informed that local government chairmen and selected delegates would participate in what appeared to be an endorsement arrangement. Another aspirant claimed the sudden increase in the number of governorship aspirants raised suspicion that some contestants were being sponsored to eventually step down for a predetermined candidate.
Amid the internal crisis, sources within the APC National Secretariat maintained that the party leadership reserved the right to intervene if consensus efforts collapsed.
A senior official at the secretariat reportedly said the APC could ultimately settle for a candidate with proven electoral capacity, irrespective of the preferences of local power blocs.
Meanwhile, the tension within the ruling party has sparked optimism within the PDP, where loyalists of Saraki believe the opposition now has a realistic opportunity to reclaim Kwara State.
A PDP stalwart described the unfolding APC crisis as evidence that the political coalition which produced the “O To Ge” movement was gradually fragmenting.
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