Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has launched a blistering attack on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the ruling All Progressives Congress following the resignation of Senator Saliu Mustapha, describing the departure of the Kwara Central Senatorial District representative as proof of what it called the deepening crisis and leadership failure within the APC. Mustapha, a founding member of the APC and one of the key figures in the 2013 merger that produced the party, announced his resignation in a letter dated August 14, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of Gambari Ward 1 in Ilorin East Local Government Area. The letter was made public on Friday, August 21, 2026, through his verified social media handles, confirming weeks of speculation about his political future following a series of setbacks within the party.
In his resignation letter, Mustapha said he reached the decision after weeks of consultations with his supporters, constituents and political stakeholders across Kwara State, citing recent developments within the APC in the state, particularly the conduct of its leadership, which he said had eroded his confidence in the party. "I have formally resigned my membership of the party in the state," Mustapha said. "This is not a decision I have taken lightly. It follows weeks of extensive consultations and engagements with relevant stakeholders, my supporters, constituents across Kwara Central Senatorial District, and well-meaning Kwarans". The senator accused the party leadership in Kwara of departing from what he described as the principles of collective unity and internal democracy on which the APC was founded. "I believe political leadership must be anchored on integrity, competence, accountability and a sincere commitment to the collective interest of the people," he said. "The current leadership of the Party in Kwara State has fallen short of these standards and this has eroded my confidence in them". He assured his constituents that while his political platform might change, his commitment to serving them remained unchanged.
The resignation comes against the backdrop of a deepening dispute within the Kwara APC over the party's 2027 governorship and legislative primaries. Mustapha was one of the prominent aspirants who contested the APC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 election, but the party eventually produced the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as its governorship candidate. The development left Mustapha without the governorship ticket he had pursued and subsequently raised questions over his political future after the Independent National Electoral Commission published Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the APC candidate for the Kwara Central senatorial seat. The governor is serving his second and final term and cannot seek re-election in 2027, meaning that, unless there was a change in the party's nomination, Mustapha would not return to the Senate under the APC after his current term. Before his resignation, Mustapha had been part of the G15 coalition of party stakeholders challenging the outcome of the APC governorship primary. The senator had obtained the party's nomination form to contest the 2027 governorship election and participated in the primary held on May 22, 2026, but Danladi-Salihu emerged as the party's candidate after polling 94,990 votes.
The PDP, in a statement issued on Friday by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, described Mustapha's exit as a confirmation of what it called the deepening crisis and leadership failure within the Kwara APC. "Governor AbdulRazaq has failed his party just as he has failed the people of Kwara State," Adewara declared. "He now presides over a party that is fatally fractured, internally weakened and increasingly rejected by ordinary Kwarans. Beyond pretence and social media optics, the Kwara APC under Governor AbdulRazaq can no longer deny the obvious: its centre can no longer hold". The opposition party said Mustapha's resignation was not an ordinary political development but an indication that the leadership crisis within the APC had reached what it described as a dangerous and irreversible stage. "The resignation of Senator Saliu Mustapha is not an ordinary political development; it is a loud confirmation that the leadership crisis in the APC has reached a dangerous and irreversible stage," the PDP said. "A governor who cannot unite and retain the prominent leaders within his own political household cannot be trusted with the larger responsibility of providing stable and inclusive leadership for a complex state like Kwara".
The PDP also likened the Kwara APC to a "runaway car heading to doom," accusing the governor of failing to provide effective leadership for the party. "What is happening to the Kwara APC today is not just political migration. It is the inevitable collapse of a party built on lies, deceit, image laundering targeted at innocent families, and evil propaganda of 2019," Adewara said. "When a house is built on quicksand, it does not take much for it to collapse". The party further alleged that AbdulRazaq was uncomfortable with the political growth and stature of other prominent political figures in the state, whom it claimed were treated as competitors. "The tragedy of the AbdulRazaq-led APC is that it has been led by a governor who appears uncomfortable with the political growth and stature of other prominent Kwara people, treating perceived political competitors as threats that must be eliminated from his political journey at all costs," the PDP said. Adewara also referenced the recent resignation of the Haske of Lafiagi, Ambassador Kolo Jiya, alongside other APC leaders from Kwara North, saying the development showed that prominent stakeholders were losing confidence in the governor's leadership.
Mustapha's resignation has heightened speculation about his next political move ahead of the 2027 elections. According to reports, the senator is considering joining the PDP to contest against AbdulRazaq for the Kwara Central senatorial seat. His exit from the APC could further reshape the political landscape in Kwara ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly in Kwara Central, where the APC is expected to defend its position against opposition parties. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Senator Mustapha may clinch the PDP ticket to face Governor AbdulRazaq of the ruling APC in 2027. The APC has yet to issue an official response to the senator's resignation, while efforts to reach Governor AbdulRazaq for comment were unsuccessful.
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