Abdulrazaq Tightens Grip on Kwara APC as Party Considers Tenure Extension for Exco * Saliu Mustapha, Yahaya Seriki, Amana others at mercy of Governor till after 2027 elections
By Omowumi Omotosho
The tenure of the Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) executive is likely to be extended by one year, solidifying Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s hold on the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
This move, which aligns with a broader push within the APC at the national level, means that planned congresses to elect new party executives may not take place until after the general elections.
According to an authoritative source within the APC structure, President Bola Tinubu opposed electing a new party exco before the elections and is expected to use the National Executive Committee (NEC) to approve the extension.
The tenure of the current party executives is set to come to an end in March 2026. However, sources within the party indicated that Tinubu view this timeline as too close to the party primaries.
“He believes holding congresses at that time could spark internal crises that might escalate into the primary election period, which already carries its own tensions and power struggles,” a Senior APC official told National Pilot Newspaper.
The proposal to extend the exco’s tenure, according to the top APC official, has strong backing from second-term governors and immediate past governors, who see it as a strategic move to maintain control over party structures. In contrast, first-term governors are displeased, as they had anticipated reshaping party leadership in their states to consolidate their own influence.
For Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the extension of the party exco’s tenure further strengthens his grip on the APC in Kwara. According to a source close to the Kwara APC leadership, the governor’s grip on the party “was further reinforced by a recent financial gesture, where each ward executive received N100,000,
amounting to a total of ₦3 million in each ward across the state.”
This development is seen as a direct blow to political figures who may have hoped to use the upcoming congress to challenge the governor’s dominance within the state party structure. With the exco tenure extended, those seeking to shake up the APC’s internal dynamics will now have to wait until after the 2027 elections.
With the governor in firm control, the selection of APC candidates for various elective positions in Kwara will largely be determined by AbdulRazaq. The move reinforces the influence of sitting governors over party affairs, making it clear that those eyeing party tickets must align with the existing leadership.
Expected to be affected by this development in Kwara are political heavyweights in the ruling party who are locked in a do or die race to pick the party’s gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 election.
Leading the pack of these aspirants is,Senator Saliu Mustapha. He has spread his enormous financial resources across the state in pursuit of his gubernatorial ambition. His major stumbling block is Governor Abdulrazaq who did not support his ambition. This has created a cold war between the two, with fierce battles being waged by proxy.
The governor is reported to have promised the Kwara North the 2027 gubernatorial ticket.
Political pundits have anticipated a mother of all political battles between the governor and the Mustapha.
Also to be affected by the executive extension are Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, a successful businessman, the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof Abubakar Sulaiman, popularly known as Amana.
