Nigeria: Dilemma Over PDP's Quest to Reclaim Kwara, Support Tinubu

What the report says

A Daily Trust report published by AllAfrica on 7 September 2026 says political calculations in Kwara State are being complicated by a coalition of local actors seeking to unseat the APC in state-level contests while still backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election. The report focuses on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the G15 coalition and allies linked to former Senate President Bukola Saraki, as they work out a voting strategy that separates presidential support from governorship and senatorial choices.

According to the article, the issue has become more pressing after Senator Saliu Mustapha left the APC and joined the PDP to contest the Kwara Central Senate seat. That move, together with the coalition’s alliance with the PDP, has raised questions among some stakeholders about whether anti-APC campaigning in Kwara could spill over into the presidential vote, especially since presidential, Senate and House elections are held on the same day. The report notes that Tinubu won Kwara in 2023, and that the 2027 race is expected to be more competitive nationally.

The coalition’s chairman, Salman Jawondo, rejected concerns that its plan would weaken Tinubu’s vote, arguing that voters can support different parties in different races. Another coalition leader, Abdulrauf Bello, also said there was no contradiction in the approach. The broader significance is that Kwara has become a test case for how local alliances and party realignments may shape both state and national outcomes in 2027.