Senator Who Lost APC Primary to Top Gov Gets PDP Ticket
- Senator Saliu Mustapha picked the PDP senatorial nomination form on Friday, August 21, 2026, hours after announcing his resignation from the APC
- Mustapha's move sets up a direct 2027 electoral clash with Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who holds the APC ticket for the same district
- Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and opposition stakeholders were reportedly involved in courting the senator to the PDP
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The political shake-up in Kwara state deepened on Friday, August 21, 2026, when Senator Saliu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central, formally collected the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial nomination form, just hours after resigning from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kwara State PDP Chairman, Hon. Isa Adamu Baw, personally presented the form to Mustapha, signaling the opposition party's readiness to back him as its candidate for the Kwara Central senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Source: Twitter
Saliu Mustapha: A direct clash with AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
The move immediately transforms what had been an internal APC dispute into a high-stakes electoral showdown. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has already secured the APC ticket for the same Kwara Central senatorial district, meaning the two men are now set for a direct confrontation at the polls.
Party officials told Daily Trust that Mustapha received the PDP ticket after talks with former lawmaker Moshood Mustapha, who had previously been considered for the same slot.
Mustapha's departure from the APC follows months of tension within the party, rooted in disagreements over the governorship primary in which Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu emerged as the APC candidate. Mustapha was among the prominent aspirants and stakeholders who rejected aspects of that process and later aligned with the aggrieved G15 bloc.
Mustapha's resignation and PDP move
In his resignation statement, Mustapha said the decision came after extensive consultations with supporters, stakeholders, and constituents.
He argued that politics must remain anchored in "people, principles and purpose," and thanked APC leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, for the relationships built during his time in the party.
He assured his constituents that while his political platform had changed, his commitment to them had not.
Reports had circulated for weeks that the PDP was preparing to offer Mustapha a platform in Kwara Central following his fallout with the governor. Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and other opposition figures were said to have played a role in bringing him into the fold.
His entry into the PDP also raised questions about whether other members of the aggrieved APC bloc in Kwara state could follow suit, potentially reshaping the political landscape in the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
Former Jigawa speaker dumps APC for PDP
Legit.ng earlier reported that the APC suffered a major setback in Jigawa state after the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Idris Garba Kareka, resigned from the party and joined the PDP.
Kareka announced his official defection from the ruling party at a well-attended political rally, held in his Jahun town on Tuesday, June 2.
The Jigawa-born politician's defection came days after the former speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei, also resigned from the APC.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
