Kwara 2027: Saraki Tells PDP Members To Close Ranks

Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, yesterday urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State to work as a team ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Saraki, who addressed the party’s members in Ilorin, the state capital, told them that the strength of the party lies in its ability to unite members, accommodate differences and work together towards a common objective.

Meanwhile, 51 ward chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara Central and some stakeholders have distanced themselves from Senator Saliu Mustapha’s defection from the party.
They also declared their support for the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the APC governorship candidate, Engr. Salihu Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.

The spokesmen of the groups, Hon. Ibrahim Salah, and the chairman of the APC in Gambari Ward II, who doubles as chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in the state, Baba Gobir, made these disclosures at a press conference they jointly addressed in Ilorin on Wednesday.

But Saraki, in his address to PDP leaders, appreciated them for accommodating APC members who recently joined the PDP in their various wards and local government areas.

Saraki’s media aide on local affairs, Abdulganiyu Abdulquadir, said some of the National Assembly candidates who attended the gathering also addressed the party faithful, expressing appreciation to the leadership and members of the party for their support and confidence.

“The candidates pledged their unalloyed loyalty and commitment to the ideals of the PDP and the leadership of Saraki, while assuring the gathering of their determination to work collectively for the success of the party,” he added.

However, the APC ward chairmen and stakeholders reaffirmed their loyalty to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and declared that Mustapha’s defection could not weaken the party.

The spokesmen of the groups, Hon. Ibrahim Salah, and the chairman of the APC in Gambari Ward II, who doubles as chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in the state, Baba Gobir, made these disclosures at a press conference they jointly addressed in Ilorin on Wednesday.

Salah spoke on behalf of stakeholders from Gambari Ward I and other communities across Kwara Central, while Gobir represented the 51 APC ward chairmen in the senatorial district.

According to them, the stakeholders were not driven by political considerations but by the visible impact of the AbdulRazaq administration across Kwara.

“We are not here because of politics. We are here because the dividends of democracy are now visible, measurable, and touching the lives of ordinary Kwarans,” Salah said.

For his part, the chairman of Gambari Ward II and chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in the state, Baba Gobir, reaffirmed the loyalty of the ward chairmen to AbdulRazaq and dismissed Mustapha’s defection as incapable of weakening the party.

Gobir described the ward chairmen as the “engine room” of the APC in Kwara Central, saying they were directly responsible for grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement.

He rejected the suggestion that the senator’s 2023 electoral victory was a personal achievement, arguing that it was secured through the collective efforts of the APC, AbdulRazaq’s leadership and grassroots members.

Gobir said Mustapha’s departure was therefore a personal political decision rather than a reflection of the aspirations of voters across Kwara Central.

He insisted that the APC remained the party committed to placing the welfare of ordinary Kwarans at the centre of governance, urging voters to remain focused on the development recorded under the AbdulRazaq administration.