Kwara Senator Mustapha Picks PDP Ticket Hours After Dumping APC

Senator Saliu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central in the National Assembly, has picked the Peoples Democratic Party ticket for the 2027 Kwara Central Senatorial election, only hours after leaving the All Progressives Congress.

Politics Nigeria reports that a video showing the presentation of the PDP ticket to the senator emerged on Friday.

The ticket was presented to him by the Kwara State Chairman of the PDP, Issa Bawa.

Mustapha’s emergence as the PDP candidate came shortly after he formally announced his resignation from the APC.

His resignation letter was dated August 14, 2026, and was addressed to the APC chairman of Gambari Ward 1 in Ilorin East Local Government Area. The resignation was made public on Friday.

The senator explained that his decision followed developments within the Kwara chapter of the APC.

He said he had spent weeks consulting political stakeholders, supporters, constituents and other people across the state before reaching the decision.

Mustapha said his action was based on his belief that political parties should serve the interests of the people and remain consistent with certain principles.

“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.

He also expressed appreciation to the APC leadership, including President Bola Tinubu, for the experience and relationships he gained during his time in the party.

The senator insisted that leaving the APC would not change his commitment to the people of Kwara Central.

“To my constituents, supporters, political associates and stakeholders in Kwara State and beyond, I assure you that while my political platform may change, my principles, my purpose and my commitment to the people remain unchanged,” Mustapha said.

He was one of the prominent contenders in the governorship contest.

However, the APC eventually picked Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker, Yakubu Danladi Salihu, as its governorship candidate.

Mustapha later became involved in the growing disagreement among members of the APC G-15 group, a bloc of aggrieved politicians who opposed aspects of the process that produced the party’s governorship candidate.

His political position became even more complicated after reports emerged concerning the Kwara Central senatorial ticket.

Earlier reports had indicated that the PDP was considering offering its Kwara Central ticket to Mustapha if he decided to leave the APC.

The possibility of his defection also gained attention after reports linked him to former Senate President Bukola Saraki, a major political figure in Kwara and an influential leader within the PDP.

There had been several meetings and rumours around the future of the senator. However, the exact nature of some of those meetings was not publicly established at the time.

Nonetheless, the senator will now seek another term in the Senate under the PDP after previously winning the Kwara Central seat on the APC platform in 2023.

In that election, Mustapha secured 109,823 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Bolaji Abdullahi, who polled 69,202 votes.

The 2027 contest is expected to be significantly different.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has already emerged as the APC candidate for the Kwara Central senatorial district.

This means Mustapha and the governor are expected to face each other directly in what could become one of the major contests in the state.