Kwara Traditional Rulers, APC Leaders Hail Tinubu Over Danladi’s Emergence, Say Decision Upholds Equity, Fairness, Justice
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Traditional rulers, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and top political stakeholders from Kwara State on Wednesday closed ranks in Abuja, where they paid a thank-you visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the emergence of Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi as the APC governorship candidate for the state.
The delegation described the development as a triumph of fairness, equity and political inclusion, saying it represents a major response to the long-standing aspiration of Kwara North to produce the next governor of the state after the completion of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s tenure.
The delegation was received on behalf of President Tinubu by the Special Adviser to the President on Political and Other Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Kabir Masari.
At the centre of the visit was a broad coalition of royal fathers, party leaders and stakeholders drawn from Kwara North, Kwara South and Kwara Central — a composition the delegation said reflected a state-wide consensus that the governorship should, in the interest of fairness, justice and balance, rotate to Kwara North in 2027.
The traditional rulers’ delegation was led by the Etsu Patigi and Vice Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Council, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr.) Umar Ibrahim Bologi II, while the Kwara State APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, led members of the party structure and elected officials.
Speaking during the visit, Chairman of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority and Kwara State Coordinator of Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Hon. Gidado Abdulateef Alakawa, said the visit was essentially a thank-you mission by leaders of Kwara State, especially traditional rulers from Kwara North, who considered it necessary to appreciate President Tinubu for supporting what they described as a fair and just political resolution.
He said the quest by Kwara North to produce the next governor had been driven by years of advocacy, consultation and engagement, all anchored on the principle that every part of the state deserves a fair opportunity to participate in leadership.
“Leaders from Kwara are here this afternoon on a thank-you visit to Mr. President and it is at the instance of the traditional rulers particularly from Kwara North who deemed it fit that one good turn deserves the other,” Alakawa said.
According to him, the agitation was not built on confrontation, but on persuasion and consensus-building. He disclosed that traditional rulers from Kwara North had, over the last two years, reached out to stakeholders across the state to make the case for the governorship to move to their zone at the end of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s second term.
He said the royal fathers consistently argued that power should be negotiated in the spirit of inclusion rather than fought over through division and coercion.
“The traditional leaders reached out to all parts of the state in the buildup to the primaries that with the expiration of the tenure of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who has turned Kwara around for all of us, the people of Kwara North this time were appealing, because power is never taken by force, it is negotiated,” he said.
Alakawa said the campaign eventually gained traction across the state, with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the APC leadership aligning with the aspiration in recognition of what he described as its moral and political merit. He said President Tinubu’s support for the process ultimately helped to validate the consensus and gave practical effect to a cause that had enjoyed increasing support from traditional institutions and stakeholders across the three senatorial districts.
Significantly, Alakawa stressed that support for Kwara North’s aspiration was not confined to the northern axis, but was embraced by leaders from other parts of the state, particularly Kwara South, whose traditional rulers, he said, agreed that justice must not be reduced to sectional calculations.
“The people of South, the traditional rulers from that area, said a bird does not fly with one wing. They decided to join, that it is not about the issue of North alone; what is fair is fair,” he said.
He also cited the representation of the Emir of Ilorin as a strong symbol of unity within the traditional institution. According to him, the Emir was represented through the Vice Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Council and two eminent title holders from the Ilorin Emirate — Balogun Alanamu and Balogun Ajikobi — a development he said reflected the alignment of traditional authorities behind the power shift.
“That says one thing, that the traditional leaders in Kwara State are very much in alignment with this decision and this position,” he added.
Alakawa used the occasion to underscore the APC’s political dominance in Kwara, arguing that the support of the traditional institution for the arrangement would further strengthen the party ahead of the next electoral cycle.
He said the 2019 “O To Ge” movement fundamentally altered the state’s political landscape, while the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had since deepened the APC’s hold on power and significantly weakened the opposition.
“Since the O To Ge of 2019, no part of Kwara State, no part of the 193 wards of the state, was in the hand of the opposition, and the performance of our leader, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, further decimated the opposition in Kwara. Today, APC is a party to beat; APC is Kwara, and Kwara is APC,” he declared.
He added that President Tinubu’s support for the process had strengthened party cohesion and enhanced the APC’s prospects of retaining power in the state.
“What the President has done for us through the governor by this arrangement of allowing what is right to go right is a further invitation to more victory that is to come,” he said.
In his own remarks, Kwara State APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said the delegation came not only to thank President Tinubu for his support for the state, but also to reaffirm Kwara APC’s loyalty to the President and to defend the integrity of the party’s governorship primary process in the face of what he described as misleading narratives in the media.
Fagbemi recalled that Kwara was one of the states that delivered overwhelmingly for President Tinubu and the APC in the 2023 elections, winning the presidential vote in the state as well as all the senatorial seats, House of Representatives seats, the governorship and all 24 seats in the Kwara State House of Assembly.
He said the same unity of purpose that delivered those victories remained intact despite post-primary disagreements.
“From the inception, Kwara was one of the states that delivered 100 per cent to Mr. President and when election was held, we delivered 100 per cent to APC. We won all the senatorial seats, the House of Representatives, the governorship seat, the 24 House of Assembly seats and we maintained the same thing in 2023,” Fagbemi said.
The APC chairman said the party leadership considered it necessary to brief the Presidency on the true situation in Kwara in view of recent public commentary by some aggrieved aspirants and party members. He expressed concern that internal disagreements were being taken to national television and framed in ways capable of damaging the image of the party and the state.
He said while it was natural for people to struggle for political power, party members must also learn to be sportsmanlike and respect the outcome of a process once it had been duly conducted.
According to him, the APC governorship primary in Kwara followed due process and was supervised by committees sent from the national secretariat of the party. He noted that when the process had to be paused at a point, another committee was sent from Abuja to ensure fairness and transparency, insisting that the procedure adopted in Kwara was not different from what obtained in other states of the federation.
“What is happening in Kwara is what has happened in every other state. The primary has come and gone, people have voted and the people that conducted the primaries were sent from the national. At a point when the process had to be paused, another set was sent from there. We had two committees conduct the primary for fairness,” he said.
Fagbemi said the controversy trailing the primary was largely driven by dissatisfaction among some of the aspirants who lost out in the contest, adding that certain attempts to deploy external influence against the outcome should not be encouraged either at the party’s national headquarters or within the Presidency.
He maintained, however, that the overwhelming majority of party leaders and stakeholders in the state remained solidly behind the emergence of Danladi.
He listed among those backing the outcome the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) leadership in the state, local government chairmen, members of the Kwara State House of Assembly, council chairmen, party executives and the traditional rulers present at the meeting.
“All the people that are here have contested one election or the other. The ALGON Chairman is there, all the local government chairmen are with us on this issue, the House of Assembly, 98 per cent of them are with us on this issue, the council chairmen, all of them are with us on this issue, and these our first-class Obas and Emirs that are here are with us on this issue,” he said.
He assured the President that Kwara APC remained united, loyal and fully committed to delivering victory for the party again in 2027.
“Sir, we love the party, we love Mr. President, we have delivered 100 per cent and by the special grace of God, this time around, we will still deliver 100 per cent,” he said.
Also speaking, the Olofa of Offa, His Royal Majesty Oba Mufutau Muhammad Gbadamosi Okikiola Esuwoye II, said the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council played a central role in shaping the process that culminated in the emergence of a Kwara Northerner as the APC governorship candidate.
He said the emergence of Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi was not accidental, but the product of a deliberate intervention by the traditional institution in pursuit of justice, balance and fairness for Kwara North.
“We in the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council started the process that produced a Kwara Northerner as APC governorship candidate,” the Olofa said.
The monarch commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for refusing to impose any candidate on the state and for allowing a process that, according to him, reflected the wishes of stakeholders and the broader interest of Kwara.
“We are pleased with the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for not imposing any candidate on us in Kwara State. We also thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for enabling the Governor and for endorsing Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, who emerged as the party’s candidate after the primary,” he said.
The Olofa also appealed for reconciliation within the party, saying aggrieved aspirants will not be alienated but engaged through dialogue and persuasion.
“The aggrieved aspirants are our sons, and when we get home, we will talk to them. They will listen to us because there are other opportunities they can also get when they remain patient,” he added.
In his address on behalf of the traditional institution, the Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim Bologi II, described the visit as a celebration of “a new chapter” in Kwara’s political journey and said Danladi’s emergence represented far more than a partisan victory.
According to him, the outcome symbolised fairness, equity and justice, particularly for the people of Kwara North, who had long yearned for the opportunity to produce the state governor.
“Today, we are here on a thank-you visit to Mr. President. Today, we celebrate a new chapter on our political journey as a state, with joy and unity, in the emergence of Rt. Hon. Salihu Danladi as APC governorship candidate for Kwara State in the 2027 election,” the Etsu said.
“Your Excellency, this victory is not about politics; it is all about fairness, equity and justice. The entire people of Kwara North have been wishing for this day.”
The Etsu Patigi assured President Tinubu that the traditional rulers of Kwara State stood fully behind him, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the APC, and would work to reconcile all interests ahead of the 2027 elections.
He described both the successful candidate and the aggrieved aspirants as “our children”, saying the traditional institution would intervene to calm frayed nerves and persuade those dissatisfied with the outcome to accept the result in the larger interest of party unity and the state.
“The candidates are our children – the aggrieved ones and the people that won the election. We will call them and talk to them to reassure them that there are many opportunities coming ahead. This is not the only opportunity, but let’s come together and build a new Kwara, the Kwara that will carry everybody along,” he said.
He urged the President not to be distracted by social media narratives suggesting disunity in the state, insisting that the overwhelming majority of stakeholders were united behind the decision and prepared to work for the APC’s victory in the general election.
“Regardless of what is going on the social media, please accept this from us that we are all together. They are our children and we will surely call them to sort ourselves out at home,” he said.
The monarch further credited Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for helping to midwife the aspiration and thanked President Tinubu for creating the enabling atmosphere through which the demand for fairness could be realised.
He said Danladi’s candidacy offered the prospect of a more inclusive Kwara in which all senatorial districts would enjoy a greater sense of belonging in governance.
“Rt. Hon. Salihu Danladi is a beacon of hope to the people of Kwara State. The legacy before him is that of a Kwara State where all the senatorial districts will be given fair play and inclusiveness in governance,” he said.
Throughout the visit, speakers maintained that the campaign for Kwara North to produce the next governor was rooted in history and principle rather than convenience. They argued that the state’s political stability would be better served by a power-sharing arrangement that reflects inclusion, mutual respect and a sense of belonging among the constituent zones.
The delegation also insisted that the agitation did not amount to a rejection of other districts, but rather a call for a rotational understanding that would preserve balance within the state and deepen confidence in the APC’s internal democratic culture.
In his closing remarks, Prince Femi Whyte thanked God for the success of the visit and expressed appreciation to Masari for receiving the delegation on behalf of the President. He said the message delivered by the royal fathers and political stakeholders reflected the true mood in Kwara State and the broad consensus that, in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, the governorship should go to Kwara North.
“As you can see, our royal fathers stood by the truth and said exactly what is happening in the state. Everyone has unanimously agreed that in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, the power should go to the North, and that is exactly what the yearning and aspiration of every Kwaran today is,” Whyte said.
He acknowledged that dissenting voices were inevitable in any political process, but maintained that the position presented to the Presidency represented the view of the majority of stakeholders across the state.
Whyte recalled that the APC had faced similar tensions ahead of the 2023 elections but still went on to record a sweeping victory at the polls. He expressed confidence that the party would repeat the feat in 2027.
“In 2023, we experienced the kind of things we are seeing today, but at the end of the day when we went to the elections, APC still won everything. By the special grace of God, we are assuring you that we are still going to win,” he said.
The delegation urged Masari to convey their gratitude to President Tinubu for what they described as a statesmanlike decision, and also asked that their appreciation be extended to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for creating the pathway through which the aspiration was realised.
The Presidency, in its response, acknowledged the role of the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council in sustaining political stability and electoral mobilisation in the state, particularly during the 2019 and 2023 elections, and appealed for continued royal support for peace, unity and party cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Other members of the delegation included the Olofa of Offa, His Royal Majesty Oba Mufutau Muhammad Gbadamosi Okikiola Esuwoye II; the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, His Royal Majesty Oba Muhammed Ismail Yahaya Alebiosu; and several traditional rulers and stakeholders from Edu, Kaiama, Ifelodun, Irepodun, Oyun, Oke Ero and Baruten local government areas.
Also on the entourage were APC leaders and stakeholders from Kwara South and Kwara Central, including Barrister Kayode Towoju, Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, Prince Femi Whyte, Prince Ladi Omole, Hon. Mukthar Tolani Shagaya, Alhaji Razaq Lawal, Hon. Wahab Issa, Alhaji Iliasu Iponrin and other leading political figures.
The Abuja visit is already being interpreted as a consequential moment in Kwara’s succession politics, not only because of the calibre of those involved, but because it signalled a determined effort by the traditional institution, the party hierarchy and regional stakeholders to present Danladi’s candidacy as the product of consensus rather than contest.
In effect, the visit served as both a thank-you message to the President and a broader political statement: that in the eyes of the delegation, the emergence of Salihu Yakubu Danladi represents not merely the outcome of a primary election, but the culmination of a negotiated quest for fairness, inclusion and rotational balance in Kwara State — one the party leadership and traditional institution now appear determined to defend and consolidate ahead of 2027.
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