Breaking: Speaker Danladi Emerges APC Governorship Candidate in Kwara After Dramatic Primary Twist

• Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi has emerged as the APC governorship candidate in Kwara after defeating major rivals in the primary
• The outcome followed dramatic shifts within the Kwara APC after Governor AbdulRazaq earlier endorsed another aspirant
• Political tensions also intensified after the controversial primary was suspended midway before final results were announced

The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in the state.

Danladi was declared the winner of the party’s governorship primary held at the Banquet Hall in Ilorin on Friday evening, May 22, after polling 94,990 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, who secured 41,700 votes. Another aspirant, Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, garnered 22,118 votes.

Legit.ng correspondent who monitored the exercise at the Banquet Hall reports that the results were announced by Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, chairman of the APC governorship primary election committee in Kwara State.

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Obanikoro subsequently declared Danladi as the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 governorship election.

The outcome comes amid dramatic political developments within the Kwara APC in the last 72 hours.

Dramatic APC twist changes Kwara succession race

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had earlier publicly endorsed Yahaya Seriki as his preferred successor ahead of the primary election, insisting the decision followed consultations with party stakeholders across the state.

In the endorsement statement released on Tuesday, the governor described Seriki as “young, pro-people, astute and broad-minded,” while urging party members to support his aspiration for the sake of unity and continuity.

However, political calculations within the ruling party appeared to shift less than 24 hours before the primary, with strong indications emerging that the governor’s camp had backed Danladi instead.

The development sparked intense speculations within APC circles in Kwara, especially after party stakeholders loyal to the governor reportedly rallied support for the Speaker ahead of the final voting process.

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Danladi’s emergence is expected to reshape the political dynamics within the APC, particularly among supporters of Yahaya Seriki and other governorship aspirants who had built extensive structures ahead of the primaries.

The APC primary in Kwara had also been surrounded by controversies after the exercise was earlier suspended midway on Thursday before it was eventually concluded on Friday.

APC declares Adamawa primary election winner

In another development, Legit.ng reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared Ahmed Galadima winner of its Adamawa governorship primary ahead of the 2027 general election in the state.

Results announced in a trending video showed Galadima polled 414,444 votes to defeat Abdulrazak Namdas, who secured 86,004 votes, while Abdulrahman Haske came third with 65,934 votes in the exercise.

The ruling party resumed voting on Friday after suspending the process a day earlier. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who recently joined the APC from the PDP, is expected to influence succession politics in Adamawa.

APC names Rivers governorship candidate

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the APC declared Kingsley Chinda the winner of its Rivers governorship primary after Governor Siminalayi Fubara withdrew from the race.

Bitrus Kwamoti, chairman of the APC primary committee, announced Chinda as the winner after collation of results from the 23 local government areas. The House of Representatives member reportedly secured 268,497 votes as the sole aspirant.

Source: Legit.ng