Saraki’s meeting with APC ‘G15’ chieftain fuels realignment in Kwara

T****he political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections in Kwara State has assumed a new dimension following a meeting between former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki.

Seriki popularly called ‘Amber’ is a prominent member of the aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) group known as the G15.

Saraki met Seriki at the headquarters of his Kursi Group in Abuja, where the former Senate President expressed interest in the company’s industrial and mining activities.

Although the meeting was publicly presented around business, its timing has generated political discussions in Kwara, coming amid renewed alignments involving the G15, The Otoge Progressives (TOP), the PDP and the emerging Rainbow Coalition.

The G15 emerged from opposition to the APC governorship primary that produced Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The group later expanded its activities under TOP as its members continued consultations on the election.

However, the bloc, according to the camp of the government, has recently suffered defections, with some of its supporters returning to the APC mainstream.

Senior Special Assistant on Political Matters (Kwara Central) to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Prince Sulaiman Abubakar, popularly known as Sai Kai, has been among those highlighting the return of former G15 grassroots mobilisers to the party.

The governor’s camp has consequently argued that the group has lost the momentum it enjoyed when it emerged.

But members of the group have disputed the claim, insisting that the G15 remains active despite the ‘defections’.

Former Kwara Central Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe has said the group remains united, while describing its emerging political arrangement as a “Rainbow Coalition” involving different political interests.

Protagonists argued that the strategy allows members to support candidates across party lines while maintaining a common position on selected political interests.

The development has become more significant with the defection of Senator Saliu Mustapha from the APC to the PDP.

Mustapha, another prominent member of the G15, subsequently secured the PDP ticket for the Kwara Central senatorial district to face the Governor

The development has further complicated the political configuration in the state.

The Rainbow Coalition has also been linked to the wider political arrangement around President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, with politicians from different parties participating in the emerging structure.

Saraki’s meeting with Seriki has attracted attention because of the former Senate president’s political rivalry with the Governor.

Seriki himself has a history with the governor, having served as Director-General of AbdulRazaq’s campaign organisation in 2019 and campaign council in 2023 before differences emerged between both camps.

He was initially associated with AbdulRazaq’s succession plans before the governor eventually backed Danladi for the 2027 race.

Seriki subsequently became one of the prominent figures in the G15 camp.

His political activities have also recently drawn attention following the postponement of the planned inauguration of the City Boy Movement in Kwara, where he serves as NorthCentral coordinator while the governor’s younger brother, Baba Razaq, is the state coordinator.

The movement later attributed the postponement to scheduling and planning adjustments and denied any political disagreement with the APC or the state government.

There is no public indication that Seriki has joined Saraki or that a formal political alliance was concluded during their meeting.

However, coming against the backdrop of the G15 defections, the Rainbow Coalition and Mustapha’s movement to the PDP, the meeting has added another layer to the political realignment ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Kwara.