KWARA State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has endorsed Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki as his preferred successor ahead of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress scheduled for Thursday, May 21.
In a statement on Tuesday, May 19, following what he described as “extensive consultations with party structures and leadership,” the governor said Seriki possessed the qualities needed to lead the state and sustain the party’s success.
AbdulRazaq described the aspirant as “young, pro-people, astute and broad-minded,” adding that he had demonstrated strong capacity for political mobilisation and enjoyed widespread goodwill across the state.
“I have no doubt about his capacity and that his choice is appropriate for the people of our state at this time,” the governor stated.
He, however, clarified that the endorsement did not stop other aspirants from participating in the party’s primary, noting that all contenders remained qualified to seek the APC ticket.
The governor urged party members and leaders to support his endorsement of Seriki as the party’s candidate.
According to him, the decision should not be interpreted as a rejection of other aspirants vying for the position.
“The choice of Amb. Yahaya Seriki is neither a disapproval of any of our eminently qualified aspirants nor a whimsical attempt to delegitimise the noble aspirations of our people,” he said.
AbdulRazaq noted that with about 16 aspirants in the race, only one person could eventually emerge as the party’s flag bearer.
He also commended the aspirants for what he described as their discipline, statesmanship, and commitment to building on the achievements of his administration over the last seven years.
The endorsement came amid growing political calculations within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections, with attention increasingly focused on zoning and succession dynamics in the state.
Seriki, like AbdulRazaq, is from Kwara Central Senatorial District, a development that has stirred quiet discontent in some political circles across Kwara North and Kwara South, where some stakeholders have argued that power should rotate to another district after the governor completes his second term in office in 2027.
Although leading opposition parties, namely the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have yet to elect their governorship candidates through primaries, political activities within the APC have intensified in the past few days as the parties primaries held nationwide for House of Representatives, Senate, and governorship scheduled for Thursday, May 21.
Among the frontline aspirants for governor’s seat in the ruling APC in Kwara is Saliu Mustapha, who recently dismissed reports suggesting he withdrew from the race or lost the APC senatorial primary election in Kwara Central.
In a statement issued through his media aide, Nasif Sholagberu, on May 18, Mustapha said he never contested the senatorial primary and only obtained nomination forms for the APC governorship race.
The senator, who currently represents Kwara Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, said he had already undergone the party’s governorship screening exercise in Abuja and was fully prepared for Thursday’s primary.
Other politicians linked to the APC governorship contest include former senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Lola Ashiru, former APC state chairman Bashir Bolarinwa, and Femi Sanni, an engineer, popularly known as Araba.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M