Kwara APC elders reject Speaker’s emergence as 2027 guber candidate

The Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Caucus has rejected the emergence of the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danladi, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The elders also accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of failing to give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu an accurate assessment of the political situation in the state.

The caucus made its position known on Monday, June 15, 2026, during a press conference in Ilorin.

They warned that the ruling party risks a major electoral setback in 2027 unless urgent steps are taken to address what they described as a growing disconnect between the party leadership and political realities on the ground.

Speaking on behalf of the caucus, its chairman, Sir (Dr.) Chief James Bamisaiye Ayenioye, said the group had observed developments within the party with deepening concern and could no longer remain silent after internal efforts to resolve the issues failed.

“We do not believe that the purported emergence of Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danladi as the APC governorship candidate represents the strongest political option available to the party at this critical moment,” Ayenioye said.

The elders stressed that their position was not motivated by personal animosity toward the Speaker.

However, they argued that he lacks the broad acceptability, popularity, and statewide appeal needed to unite the APC and mount a formidable challenge against an increasingly organised opposition.

The caucus also faulted the process that produced Danladi as the candidate, alleging that key stakeholders — including other aspirants, party elders, and senior political office holders — were sidelined from critical decisions affecting the party’s future.

“Respectfully, we believe that the Governor of Kwara State, as leader of the party, ought to have honestly provided a more realistic assessment of the political situation in the state to the national leadership of the APC and to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the elders added.