The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections in Kwara State, formally listing incumbent Senator Saliu Mustapha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kwara Central senatorial race.
The publication sets the stage for a high-profile contest between the incumbent senator and the sitting governor, whose tenure is due to end in 2027. It also places Mustapha’s political realignment following his departure from the APC at the centre of the emerging electoral contest.
The final list, published on INEC’s website on Saturday, features candidates from 13 political parties in Kwara Central, 11 in Kwara North and 11 in Kwara South.
The publication comes amid political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, including Mustapha’s defection to the PDP after his unsuccessful bid for the APC governorship ticket and an ongoing legal challenge to the emergence of the opposition party’s candidate in Kwara North.
Mustapha Takes PDP Route After APC Primary Dispute
Mustapha, who currently represents Kwara Central in the Senate, secured the PDP ticket after leaving the APC in August following his unsuccessful attempt to secure the ruling party’s governorship ticket and his failure to obtain its senatorial nomination.
The APC governorship primary was won by the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.
Mustapha subsequently moved to the PDP through a substitution process, setting up a contest with AbdulRazaq, whose potential move to the Senate has added another dimension to the political calculations surrounding the 2027 elections.
In his resignation letter, Mustapha accused the APC leadership in Kwara of departing from the principles of internal democracy and collective participation.
“However, recent developments within the APC in our State, particularly the leadership of the Party in Kwara State, have departed from the founding core principles of collective unity and internal democracy on which the APC was built,” he said.
The senator also rejected suggestions that his defection amounted to abandoning President Bola Tinubu.
“I have not dumped President Tinubu. Like the Honourable Minister of FCT said, this Rainbow Coalition has extended to Kwara too,” Mustapha said during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Explaining his decision to adopt the PDP as his new political platform, Mustapha said the move reflected a broader coalition involving several political groups.
“That is why it was deliberate to pick the PDP as our platform. It is not just Senator Saliu Mustapha. It is as a result of the coalition of the Otoge Progressives, the G15 and the Elder Caucus,” he said.
Mustapha had also questioned the conduct of the APC governorship primary, particularly the process of collating and announcing the results. Those allegations represent his position on the party’s internal process and should not be treated as independently established findings.
INEC’s publication confirms his listing as the PDP candidate for Kwara Central but does not resolve the political disagreements surrounding his departure from the APC.
Kwara North PDP Ticket Faces Legal Challenge
While the Kwara Central contest features two prominent political figures, the PDP’s nomination in Kwara North remains the subject of a legal dispute.
INEC’s final list names Kolo Baba Jiya, also identified as Jiya Kollo, as the PDP candidate for the district, despite a challenge by former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu.
Iliasu approached the Federal High Court in Ilorin, claiming that he won the PDP senatorial primary conducted on May 20, 2026, and that INEC initially published his name as the party’s candidate on August 1.
According to a report published by the press on September 13, Iliasu is challenging the subsequent substitution of his name with that of Baba Jiya.
The suit, marked FHC/IL/CS/136/2026, names INEC, the PDP and Baba Jiya as respondents.
Iliasu is seeking a declaration that the substitution was invalid, recognition as the party’s validly nominated candidate and an order restraining INEC from recognising Baba Jiya.
His challenge centres on whether the PDP validly replaced him, particularly given his claim that he neither withdrew from the race nor authorised the substitution.
The claims remain subject to judicial determination. The inclusion of Baba Jiya’s name on INEC’s list does not, by itself, settle the dispute.
On September 30, CK Media Affairs reported that the Federal High Court had authorised substituted service of court processes on Baba Jiya. The order concerned the method of serving the documents and did not determine the substantive dispute over the nomination.
Full List of Kwara Central Senatorial Candidates
INEC lists the following candidates for Kwara Central:
- AbdulRazaq AbdulRahaman — All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Mustapha Saliu — Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Musa Aliyu — Accord
- Adesola Kehinde — Action Alliance
- Gani Omolabi — Action Democratic Party
- Gbadesogun Olufemi Adeleke — African Peoples Party
- Abdulahi Risikat Motunrayo — African Democratic Congress
- Anjorin John Temitayo — Action Peoples Movement
- Abdulkarim-Adisa Maryam Ayoola-Fadekemi — Labour Party
- Adepoju Adekunle — National Rescue Movement
- Lawal Abdulhakeem Toyin — New Nigeria Peoples Party
- Suleiman Abdulrasheed Olufemi Omoda — National Democratic Congress
- Alh Salma Abdul Yakini — Social Democratic Party
Full List of Kwara North Senatorial Candidates
The candidates listed for Kwara North are:
- Mahmud Umar Muhammad — All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Jiya Kollo (Kolo Baba Jiya) — Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Saliu Muritala A. — Accord
- Ibrahim Ejiko Mohammed — Action Alliance
- Temako Naomi — Action Democratic Party
- Ibrahim Ramat — African Peoples Party
- Bala Taoheed Usman — African Democratic Congress
- Owolabi Felicia — Action Peoples Movement
- Abdulgafar Sulaiman — National Rescue Movement
- Tajudeen Abdullahi Mohammed — New Nigeria Peoples Party
- Gana Thomas Audu — National Democratic Congress
Full List of Kwara South Senatorial Candidates
INEC’s list for Kwara South features:
- Adewoye Olalekan — All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Popoola Saheed — Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Oyedepo Iyiola — African Democratic Congress
- Olarewaju Segun Oluwatoyin — African Peoples Party
- Alabi Amos — Accord
- Abdullahi Balogun — Action Democratic Party
- Ajayi Olayemi Bidemi — Action Peoples Movement
- Abdulgafar Sulaiman — National Rescue Movement
- Omokanye Adedoyin Raymond — New Nigeria Peoples Party
- Oni Samuel Omoniyi — National Democratic Congress
- Anifowoshe Grace — Social Democratic Party
Kwara 2027 Senate Race Enters New Phase
The release of the final list provides a clearer picture of the candidates preparing to contest the three senatorial seats in Kwara State.
In Kwara Central, Mustapha’s move to the PDP has set up a contest against AbdulRazaq, bringing the incumbent senator and the sitting governor onto opposing party platforms.
In Kwara North, the PDP’s nomination remains under legal challenge, with the court dispute raising questions about the substitution process.
As political activities gather momentum towards the 2027 elections, the Kwara Central race and the unresolved nomination dispute in Kwara North are likely to remain key issues in the state’s political landscape.
