Saliu Danladi, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State after defeating 14 other aspirants during the party’s primary election.
Danladi secured a commanding victory after polling more than 94,000 votes in the exercise, positioning himself as the APC flagbearer ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.
His closest challenger, Abdulfatai Yahya-Seriki, scored 41,700 votes, while former Kwara APC Chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, finished third with 22,118 votes.
The results were officially announced by Musiliu Obanikoro, who chaired the APC governorship primary election supervisory committee.
Only Danladi, Wale Sulaiman, and Mahmud were present during the formal declaration of the results.
The primary election came after days of intense political maneuvering within the ruling party. Just two days before the exercise, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had openly declared support for Yahya-Seriki, a move many interpreted as an endorsement of his candidacy.
However, the primary, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed until Friday following consultations and rising tension among party stakeholders.
Between Thursday night and Friday morning, political momentum reportedly shifted strongly in favour of Danladi, eventually leading to his emergence as the winner of the contest.
Meanwhile, the absence of Yahya-Seriki and 11 other aspirants during the announcement of the results has fueled speculation about possible dissatisfaction among some contenders over the conduct and outcome of the primary election.