Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has endorsed a popular businessman, philanthropist and politician, Yahaya Seriki, as his preferred successor in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections. 

The endorsement was conveyed in a statement he signed and made available to journalists by his senior special adviser on communications, Ibrahim Abdullateef, on Tuesday.

“Following extensive consultations with party structures and leadership, I am pleased to endorse Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki (MFR) as my preferred successor under the platform of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC),” the governor stated.

Mr Abdulrazaq, who described Mr Seriki as young, pro-people, astute, and broad-minded, stated that the politician had been a great political mobiliser with profound investments and extensive goodwill among Kwarans.

He added, “I have no doubt about his capacity and that his choice is appropriate for the people of our state at this time.”

The governor noted that his endorsement did not in any way preclude all other aspirants from contesting in the primary elections.

He urged members and leaders to affirm the choice of Mr Seriki as the APC candidate for cohesion, unity and continuous success of the party ahead of primary election on Thursday.

“The choice of Amb. Yahaya Seriki is neither a disapproval of any of our eminently qualified aspirants nor a whimsical attempt to delegitimise the noble aspirations of our people. But in a race involving some 16 great minds for one office, only one person can take the shot at a time,” he stated.

Mr Abdulrazaq acknowledged and commended the statesmanship of all the governorship aspirants for showing discipline and impressive capacity to build on the achievements of his administration over the last seven years for the good of the state.

The governor’s endorsement of Mr Seriki comes amid intensified political permutations by aspirants ahead of the APC governorship primary election scheduled for Thursday. 

About16 aspirants are jostling for the APC governorship ticket in the state, with each reportedly paying N50 million for nomination forms.