2027: Kwara APC Must Not Commit Political Suicide

AbdulRasheed Salawu writes that the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State must be cautious in choosing its gubernatorial candidate to avoid defeat in the 2027 poll.

There are moments in politics when silence becomes complicit and hesitation becomes danger. This is one of such moments in Kwara State.

What is unfolding ahead of the 2027 governorship race is not the normal contest of ideas or healthy democratic rivalry. It is a calculated, aggressive attempt to bend reality, manipulate perception, and pressure the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into making a decision it may ultimately regret. At the centre of this orchestration is Senator Saliu Mustapha—a man whose political rise continues to raise more questions than it answers.

Let us be clear: if the APC allows itself to be stampeded by propaganda, choreographed endorsements, and the noise of well-funded political theatre, it will not just be making a mistake—it will be flirting with outright political suicide.

The troubling issue is not ambition; ambition is the lifeblood of politics. The issue is the foundation upon which that ambition rests. Before 2023, the public space in Kwara had little to anchor on in terms of verifiable enterprise, transparent wealth creation, or measurable socio-economic impact tied to Mustapha. There was no widely acknowledged industrial footprint, no enduring record of large-scale job creation, no visible legacy that typically precedes and justifies such a rapid political ascent.

Yet, almost overnight, an enormous financial war chest emerged—fueling inducement politics, emergency philanthropy, and an expansive propaganda network. Kwarans are not naïve; they are asking the obvious question: where did all of this come from?

These questio Nigerians have not forgotten the economic trauma associated with that era—the policy shocks, the cash scarcity crisis, the disruption of livelihoods. Associations matter in politics, not because of sentiment, but because they speak to networks, loyalties, and governing instincts.

It is therefore jarring—if not outright contradictory—that the same political figure now seeks to cloak himself in the identity of a loyalist to President Bola Tinubu. Loyalty in politics is not a costume to be worn when convenient; it is a track record. Mustapha’s reported alignment with Rotimi Amaechi during the APC presidential primaries placed him squarely in opposition to Tinubu at a critical moment. That history cannot simply be edited out by present-day declarations of allegiance. It raises a legitimate and unavoidable question: is this loyalty, or is it merely proximity to power?

Even more politically unsettling are credible indications that Mustapha has maintained interactions with Senator Bukola Saraki, a dominant opposition figure with deep strategic interest in Kwara’s political future.

In any serious political environment, such cross-alignment—particularly when paired with internal ambition—would trigger intense scrutiny. Politics is not charity; it is about interests, alignments, and consequences. The APC cannot afford to ignore the signals.

What makes this moment particularly ironic is that Mustapha’s own political emergence in 2023 was not forged in isolation. It was enabled by the structure, goodwill, and political capital of the Kwara APC under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Yet, almost as soon as electoral victory was secured, the relationship appeared to shift—from alignment to quiet resistance, from cooperation to calculated distancing, and from party consolidation to early scheming for 2027. That trajectory is not the mark of disciplined leadership; it is the signature of ambition unrestrained by loyalty.

And now, in what can only be described as a desperate bid for legitimacy, a so-called endorsement has been procured from the “Ilorin Emirate Political Advisory Council (IEPAC)”—a body whose credibility is, at best, questionable. This is not how organic political support manifests. Real legitimacy grows from the people upward; it is not assembled in conference rooms and projected outward through press releases. What we are witnessing is not consensus—it is construction. It is not endorsement—it is orchestration.

No serious political party should confuse noise for strength or propaganda for popularity. The APC, if it intends to remain dominant in Kwara, must resist the temptation to outsource its judgment to manufactured narratives. History is replete with parties that mistook financial muscle and media saturation for genuine acceptance, only to face humiliating electoral consequences.

The truth is simple, even if it is uncomfortable: Kwara 2027 is too important to be gambled on uncertainty. The state requires a candidate whose loyalty is not in doubt, whose record is not shrouded in unanswered questions, whose political evolution reflects consistency rather than convenience, and whose credibility can withstand scrutiny without the aid of propaganda.

This is not just about one aspirant; it is about the integrity of a political process and the future of a state. The APC must decide whether it wants to reward opacity or uphold standards, whether it prefers short-term noise or long-term stability.

We therefore call on President Bola Tinubu, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the national leadership of the APC to subject all aspirants to rigorous scrutiny—financial, political, and ethical. Anything less would be a dereliction of responsibility.

Kwara cannot afford a costly experiment. The APC cannot afford a self-inflicted crisis. And the people cannot be asked to entrust their future to a candidacy weighed down by so many unresolved questions.

If the party ignores these warning signs, it will not be able to claim surprise at the consequences.

-Salawu writes from Ilorin.