The political crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has taken a dramatic turn as Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central has picked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to contest the senatorial seat in the 2027 elections.
This is coming a few hours after the senator announced his resignation from the ruling party following a protracted disagreement with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Mustapha formally picked the PDP senatorial nomination form on Friday, with the Kwara State PDP Chairman, Hon Isa Adamu Baw, presenting the form to him.
Party officials told Daily Trust that the ticket was handed to Mustapha after discussions with former lawmaker Moshood Mustapha, who had earlier been considered for the PDP’s Kwara Central senatorial ticket.
His defection has immediately set up a major political battle in Kwara Central, as the senator is expected to face the Governor, who has secured the APC ticket for the same senatorial district.
Mustapha’s resignation came after months of disagreement within the APC following the party’s governorship primary, in which Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu emerged as the candidate.
Mustapha was among the influential aspirants and stakeholders who subsequently rejected aspects of the process and became associated with the aggrieved G15 bloc.
In his resignation statement, Mustapha said he arrived at the decision after weeks of consultations with stakeholders, supporters and constituents, stressing that politics should remain centred on “people, principles and purpose.”
“Where the path of a political platform no longer sufficiently aligns with these convictions and the aspirations of the people one represents, the honourable thing to do is to chart a new course,” he said.
The senator, however, thanked APC leaders, particularly President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the relationships and experiences gained during his membership of the party, while assuring his constituents that his political platform might change but his principles and commitment to them would remain unchanged.
His move to the PDP confirms weeks of speculation that the opposition party is preparing to accommodate him in Kwara Central.
Reports had earlier indicated that the PDP was considering handing him its senatorial ticket after his fallout with the APC, while former Senate President Bukola Saraki and other opposition stakeholders were reported to have been courting him.
Mustapha’s entry into the PDP turns the APC’s internal crisis into a major 2027 electoral contest, with the incumbent senator moving to the opposition to defend his seat against the governor.
The development could also trigger further political realignment among members of the aggrieved APC bloc ahead of the elections.
(Daily Trust)
