The senator representing Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha, has alleged that former Senate President Bukola Saraki is supporting President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
Mustapha made the claim on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, shortly after defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The senator, who has secured the PDP ticket to contest the Kwara Central senatorial seat, said his defection should not be interpreted as opposition to Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
According to Mustapha, Saraki remains the PDP leader in Kwara State but is not seeking elective office in the 2027 elections.
“Bukola is not contesting for anything. He’s neither contesting for Senate nor governorship. Bukola is also supporting the rainbow coalition that will enrich President Bola Tinubu’s chances,” he said.
Mustapha likened Saraki’s position to that of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who remains a member of the PDP while serving in Tinubu’s administration.
The senator’s comments highlight the fluid political alliances emerging ahead of the 2027 elections, with some opposition figures and groups declaring support for Tinubu while retaining their membership of opposition parties.
Mustapha said his defection to the PDP was part of a collective decision involving members of the G15, Elders’ Caucus, TOPS and the Otoge Progressive movement in Kwara State.
He said the groups had engaged with several political parties before choosing the PDP as their platform for the 2027 elections.
“Every member of G15, Elders’ Caucus, TOPS, and the Otoge Progressive, are all favourably exposed to working for the candidates in the PDP today,” he said.
According to Mustapha, the decision was prompted by grievances over the APC’s handling of its governorship nomination process, particularly what he described as a failure to consult key stakeholders.
He said the PDP faction associated with Wike was considered the most suitable platform for the group, while maintaining that the coalition remained committed to Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Mustapha said the alliance was primarily aimed at challenging what he described as an emerging political dynasty in Kwara State under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, rather than opposing Tinubu at the national level.
Asked whether AbdulRazaq was the group’s principal political target, Mustapha replied, “Precisely.”
The senator said the coalition’s main grievance was the alleged failure of the governor to consult party stakeholders before the emergence of the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the APC governorship candidate.
Mustapha also rejected suggestions that the Presidency endorsed Danladi’s emergence.
“The Villa did not endorse Danladi as a candidate for us, nothing like that. I’m 100 per cent sure because I’m an active participant in this process,” he said.
He claimed that AbdulRazaq had initially indicated Ambassador Yahaya Seriki as his preferred candidate before Danladi emerged less than 48 hours later.
Mustapha said the development contributed to the decision by the G15 and allied groups to seek an alternative political platform.
The lawmaker also rejected the argument that the 2027 Kwara governorship election should be determined by zoning, insisting that competence rather than rotational arrangements had historically influenced political contests in the state.
He cited the 2023 election, when AbdulRazaq defeated the PDP candidate, Shuaib Yaman, who was from Kwara North, as evidence that voters did not necessarily vote according to zoning expectations.
On his own political ambitions, Mustapha said his move to the PDP was not driven by personal resentment over his failure to secure the APC governorship ticket.
He said the coalition had agreed to present him as its candidate for the Kwara Central senatorial seat.
“I’m representing a group of people. I’m not here just for my individual aggrandisement,” he said.
Mustapha also denied signing any agreement with AbdulRazaq limiting him to a single term in the Senate.
He described as fraudulent a document allegedly circulated on Friday suggesting that he had agreed to serve only one term.
“I never had any discussion with him or had an agreement signed with him. I’m telling you that it was a fraudulent document,” he said.
The senator’s defection and comments on Saraki and Tinubu further underscore the shifting alliances expected to shape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
