THE BRIDGE TINUBU NEEDS IN KWARA CENTRAL: Why Saliu Mustapha Cannot Be Ignored

An African proverb says: “A bridge does not choose who crosses it; its strength is measured by how many people it can carry.”

As the 2027 political contest gathers momentum, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will require more than party labels to secure victory. He will need influential political figures capable of reaching voters across party lines, reconciling competing interests and translating grassroots goodwill into actual votes.

In Kwara Central, Senator Saliu Mustapha appears positioned to play that role.

Mustapha’s support for Tinubu is neither new nor politically accidental. Before the APC became Nigeria’s ruling party, he served as National Deputy Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change—the party founded around Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential movement and one of the principal political organisations that merged to establish the APC in 2013.

Mustapha was, therefore, not merely a beneficiary of the APC after it captured power. He belonged to the generation of political actors who helped provide the foundation upon which the party was built. He later sought the APC national chairmanship, further demonstrating his long involvement in progressive party administration.

That history matters.

It establishes that his disagreement with the Kwara APC leadership should not be misrepresented as hostility towards President Tinubu or rejection of the political tradition that produced the APC.

Mustapha has publicly declared that although he moved to the PDP to pursue his re-election, he has not abandoned President Tinubu. He explained that his political realignment in Kwara exists alongside his continued support for the President’s second-term ambition.

But political loyalty becomes more valuable when it is supported by electoral capacity—and Mustapha has already demonstrated that capacity.

In the 2023 Kwara Central senatorial election, he received 109,823 votes, defeating his closest opponent, Bolaji Abdullahi, who polled 69,202 votes. That was a winning margin of 40,621 votes. Mustapha also carried all four local government areas constituting the senatorial district.

Those figures show that he is not entering 2027 as an untested aspirant relying on media visibility. He is the sitting senator with an existing electoral base, recognised political structures and a mandate that cuts across communities within Kwara Central.

His constituency record has reinforced that political reach.

In February 2025, Mustapha’s Alubarika Empowerment Programme reportedly reached more than 2,500 beneficiaries. The intervention included 10,000 bags of fertiliser, 20 tractors, 30 Sienna vehicles, 55 tricycle trucks, 30 industrial rice-milling machines and 25 transformers, alongside hundreds of water pumps, grinding machines, freezers, generators and sewing machines.

In June 2026, he also launched an agricultural intervention valued at more than ₦1.5 billion, comprising 5,000 bags of NPK fertiliser, 2,500 bags of urea, 1,000 knapsack sprayers, 250 power tillers and 500 water-pumping machines for farmers and agricultural organisations.

These are not abstract campaign promises. They represent relationships already established with farmers, transporters, traders, artisans, students, community leaders and families whose livelihoods have been directly affected by his interventions.

Another African proverb says: “The footprints of an elephant cannot be erased by the morning rain.”

Mustapha’s political footprints cannot simply be dismissed because he has changed platforms. Party membership may determine the logo printed beside a candidate’s name, but it does not automatically erase years of personal relationships, constituency service and grassroots organisation.

This is where his strategic importance to Tinubu becomes evident.

Mustapha is seeking re-election to represent Kwara Central, but his political influence could extend beyond his own ballot. His continued support for Tinubu creates an opportunity to mobilise voters who may oppose the current Kwara APC establishment while remaining willing to support the President nationally.

That is not a contradiction. It is the reality of Nigeria’s increasingly complex electoral politics, where voters can distinguish between presidential, governorship and legislative candidates.

Saliu Mustapha does not need to surrender his senatorial ambition to prove his support for President Tinubu. He can campaign for his own return to the Senate while encouraging his supporters to vote for the President.

And Tinubu’s campaign should recognise the electoral value of every genuine supporter capable of bringing additional voters into its column—irrespective of local political disagreements.

As our elders say: “When two paths lead to the same village, the wise traveller does not destroy either road.”

Mustapha offers Kwara Central experienced representation, measurable interventions and an established grassroots network. For Tinubu, he offers access to voters beyond the immediate control of the state APC machinery.

For Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha represents continuity with visible impact.

For President Tinubu, he represents mobilisation across political boundaries.

And in an election where every vote will count, that is a bridge no serious campaign should ignore.

Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah is the Principal and CEO of Bush Radio Academy