2027: Ex-PDP members reaffirm loyalty to AbdulRazaq, APC, urge Seriki, others to reconcile with party
…backs Danladi, AbdulRazaq, Tinubu
The Kwara Solidarity Movement (KSM), a group of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), has reaffirmed its loyalty to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group also appealed to Ambassador Yahaya Seriki Gambari and other aggrieved APC members to reconcile with the party, saying internal divisions could undermine the party’s chances in the 2027 elections.
State Coordinator of the movement, Arc. Akanbi Lamidi Lamak, made the call on Friday at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Ilorin.
Lamak said the group comprised former PDP members who joined the APC between 2023 and 2026 and embraced what it described as the “vision, inclusiveness and leadership” of Governor AbdulRazaq.
He said although some APC members may have become aggrieved following the outcome of the party’s primary elections, the supremacy of the party must be respected.
“It is natural that in a contest, some members will feel aggrieved and agitated. But I say to you today and I say it boldly: the supremacy of the party remains constant,” he said.
The group urged all APC members to work for the success of the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections, including the party’s governorship candidate, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Salihu Yakubu Danladi.
It also endorsed AbdulRazaq for the Kwara Central senatorial seat, Mahmud Umar Muhammad for Kwara North and Lekan Adewoye for Kwara South, while pledging support for the party’s candidates for the National and State Houses of Assembly.
On Seriki, the group acknowledged his “moral and financial support” for the APC in the state, saying his grievances following the party’s primary elections were genuine.
“His grievances are genuine but only Almighty God gives power to who He wishes,” Lamak said.
He, however, appealed to the former APC governorship aspirant to return to the fold and work for the party’s unity.
“We therefore call on all Progressive Kwarans to join us in appealing to him in the interest of oneness and unity of Kwara State which Ambassador Yahaya Seriki yearns for,” he said.
The group further described the APC as the “only veritable platform” capable of securing victory in 2027, while claiming that the PDP may not be on the ballot.
Lamak also criticised some former APC members who, according to him, had moved towards the PDP after losing the party’s primary elections.
He recalled that some of them were previously part of the opposition movement that worked against the PDP in the 2019 and 2023 elections.
The KSM called for peace among the various factions within the APC, warning that continued internal disagreements could benefit opposition parties.
The group also urged AbdulRazaq, whom it described as the APC leader in Kwara, to embrace greater dialogue and consultation with party members.
“Dialogue heals. Dialogue unites. Dialogue will further strengthen the party and government,” Lamak said.
It further called for the inclusion of more “credible, committed and loyal members” in government appointments, programmes and electioneering activities, saying broader inclusion would strengthen the party ahead of 2027.
The movement also declared its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid, pledging to mobilise its members at the grassroots for the president in 2027.
Lamak urged APC members across the state to remain committed to the party at the ward, local government, state and federal levels, saying the group’s numerical strength must translate into electoral support in 2027.
