Kwara Senator Clears the Air: “I’m Running for Governor, Not Senate” Mustapha Dismisses Primary Rumors

Senator Saliu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central in the National Assembly, has firmly denied reports claiming he took part in the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary in Kwara State. According to the lawmaker, he neither contested in the exercise nor stepped down from it.

In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Nasif Sholagberu, Mustapha who chairs the Senate Committee on Agricultural Production Services and Rural Development clarified that he only picked nomination forms to pursue the APC governorship ticket for the 2027 elections.

“To be clear, Senator Saliu Mustapha officially obtained APC nomination forms to run for governor of Kwara State in the 2027 general elections, not for the Senate,” the statement read. “He never obtained Senate forms, took part in any screening for the Senate, or participated in the senatorial primary.”

The clarification became necessary after a list circulated online, allegedly showing Mustapha and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as aspirants for the Kwara Central Senate seat contradicting earlier claims that the governor was the sole candidate.

Mustapha’s team reaffirmed his focus on the APC governorship primary scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026. The senator had already undergone the party’s governorship screening in Abuja and urged all party members, delegates, and supporters to remain peaceful during the upcoming primary.

While expressing hope that party stakeholders would see him as a worthy candidate for governor, Mustapha stated he would accept the primary outcome in good faith if it didn’t go his way. His camp described any documents or reports linking him to the senatorial primary as “forged, fake, and of no consequence,” challenging anyone with contradictory evidence to come forward.

Despite the controversy, Mustapha’s team reiterated their support for Governor AbdulRazaq’s senatorial ambition, blaming “mischief makers” for trying to create confusion within the party ahead of 2027.