SARAKI Strikes New Deal With WIKE

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• To Enable Him Take Over KWARA

For almost 10 years now, former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki has left public office. Saraki has however remained in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The strongman of Kwara Politics has repeatedly stated that he does not have any ambition in the next election but instead preparing for 2031. Nonetheless, he aims to set things right both in the state and at the federal level and that is his topmost priority.

According to reliable sources, Saraki is adopting a Wike-style political strategy by staying within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while collaborating with the ruling administration and aligning with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike ahead of the 2027 elections.

Over the past 7 years, the APC has been the dominant party in Kwara State, which has rendered the former governor of the state and former Senate President less influential there. According to a close aide of Dr. Saraki, the former Senate president has approached FCT Minister Wike to help his protege secure victory in the coming gubernatorial election. “Saraki had told Wike to help him have a soft landing within the APC camp. He had informed Wike of his plans to support his PDP gubernatorial candidate and also work for President Tinubu’s reelection in the state, said the source.                                        ”

Presently, it will be difficult for the All Progressives Congress to retain the Kwara State governorship in 2027 due to severe internal fragmentation, fierce zoning disputes, and growing voter disillusionment.

The G-15 Coalition: A powerful bloc of aggrieved stakeholders including governorship aspirants, federal lawmakers, and party elders has formed the G-15, openly withdrawing support from Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over allegations of high-handedness and the imposition of a successor.

There are also internal rebel groups like the Otoge Progressives (TOP) that have vowed to remain within the party structure specifically to work against the current leadership in 2027.

Unlike other states where ruling parties are quietly agreeing on consensus candidates, Kwara APC faces deadlocked rivalries among over a dozen aspirants who reject imposition.

North vs. South Agitations: Agitation is high for power to shift to Kwara North, which has not produced a governor since 1999. However, other stakeholders and zones fiercely contest these arrangements, arguing that imposing a zone or a weak candidate risks electoral suicide.

Also, party elders have warned that the governor’s preferred choices or handpicked alignments lack structural popularity across the broader electorate, making the eventual flag bearer difficult to sell to voters. Originally, it was the former APC chairman, the President’s support for the gubernatorial candidate for Kwara State, and we hear that the president is not happy about the latter outcome of the primary, which produced Danladi. Dr. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB) was dropped and finished third in the May 2026 Kwara State APC governorship primary due to a fierce local power struggle with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who leveraged his control over the state’s executive machinery to back a different candidate despite Bolarinwa’s deep ties to President Bola Tinubu. Bolarinwa is a longtime loyalist molded directly in the “Tinubu school of leadership.” He previously served as a two-term Local Government Chairman in Lagos Mainland and relied heavily on his strong allegiance to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda to build his 2027 gubernatorial momentum. In Kwara State, Governor AbdulRazaq holds the local party structure. The friction between Bolarinwa and AbdulRazaq dates back years, during which Bolarinwa was previously removed as state party chairman following accusations of running a non-inclusive structure and fighting the Governor’s office.

The APC guber candidate in the state, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, we gather, is not very popular among many Kwarans. Apart from that, the party is no longer popular in the state, and many Kwara indigenes have vowed to embrace PDP gubernatorial candidate Bolakale Kawu. The big news is that the former governor has appealed to President Tinubu and has promised to support him in the coming presidential election if the president can give them a level playing ground, just like he acted in the recent Osun election that produced Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord party. We gathered that this has been the major issue between Dr. Saraki and the FCT minister, and he wants to use the minister’s influence to penetrate President Tinubu. The Kwara PDP believes that APC will be thoroughly beaten in the state if there is no federal might.The Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) believes it can win the upcoming governorship election because it is capitalizing on perceived grassroots failures of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), maintaining a strong, unified party structure across all 16 local government areas, and working to build alliances with other opposition groups. The party asserts that the ruling APC administration has failed local communities, giving the opposition a strong platform to rally voters who are dissatisfied with current economic and social conditions. Guided by former Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the PDP maintains an active presence across all 16 local government areas in Kwara State. Party leadership has directed members to collaborate and form coalitions with other opposition political parties in the state to build a unified front against the incumbent government. Currently in Kwara State, the PDP is heavily emphasizing grassroots voter registration and education.

Dr. Bukola Saraki is also supporting the Rainbow Coalition that will enrich President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chances, which was established by Minister Wike in Rivers State, and we hear it could also be adopted in Kwara if all goes as planned between the two parties. Senator Saliu Mustapha disclosed on Channels Television that Saraki, as a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, is supporting the movement, much like FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who remains in the PDP while working with the Tinubu administration. Saraki is not running for an elective office or contesting a Senate or governorship seat in 2027, allowing for flexible cross-party political maneuvering. The Rainbow Coalition brings together figures from different parties at the state level to build consensus and back President Tinubu’s second-term agenda without necessarily forcing formal party decamping.

Isaac Abimbade

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