More than 50 All Progressives Congress (APC) ward chairmen in Kwara Central have played down Senator Saliu Mustapha’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They described the move as a personal political decision that would not weaken the ruling party’s grassroots structure. The ward chairmen, led by Baba Gobir Abdullahi, chairman of Gambari Ward […]
More than 50 All Progressives Congress (APC) ward chairmen in Kwara Central have played down Senator Saliu Mustapha’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
They described the move as a personal political decision that would not weaken the ruling party’s grassroots structure.
The ward chairmen, led by Baba Gobir Abdullahi, chairman of Gambari Ward II and chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in Kwara State, reaffirmed their loyalty to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and pledged to mobilise support for the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Gobir described the ward chairmen as the “engine room” of the APC in Kwara Central, saying they were responsible for grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement.
He rejected the suggestion that Mustapha’s 2023 senatorial victory was a personal achievement, insisting that it resulted from the collective efforts of the party, AbdulRazaq’s leadership and grassroots members.
He said Mustapha’s departure did not represent the aspirations of voters across Kwara Central, maintaining that the APC remained “fully intact, vibrant and united” behind AbdulRazaq.
“Do not be distracted by the political tourism of individuals who prioritise their personal comfort over your collective progress. The APC remains the only party that puts the welfare of the ordinary Kwarans at the centre of governance,” he said.
The ward chairmen subsequently passed a vote of confidence in AbdulRazaq and endorsed APC governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, pledging to work for the victory of the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
Responding, a senior aide to Mustapha, Alabi Abdulkareem, said the reactions from APC members to the senator’s defection showed that the development had unsettled the party.
“Since Senator Saliu Mustapha left the APC, all of them, from top to bottom, have lost sleep. As at last count, 13 persons have gone on local radios to react to his defection. Three have gone on national TVs. At least, four different emergency press conferences have been called, including this latest one,” he said.
Abdulkareem said the APC should have been at peace if, as its members claimed, Mustapha’s defection had little political significance.
He said the reaction had instead strengthened his camp’s belief that Mustapha’s defection had rattled the APC, adding that more members of the party’s grassroots structure were sympathetic to the senator adding that more than half of the remaining APC ward chairmen in Kwara Central were “fully with us in spirit and soul”, although their physical presence remained within the party.
