Ten governorship aspirants and members of the elders caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have raised fears of plans by certain individuals to coerce traditional rulers into endorsing the Speaker of the state Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the party’s governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Allegations of Imposition
The aspirants and elders alleged that some interested individuals are planning to impose Danladi-Salihu on the party by mobilising traditional rulers for a visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, purportedly on a thank-you visit for “his acceptance and endorsement of the Speaker as the APC candidate for the 2027 governorship election.”
Consensus Candidature Denied
The group also dismissed reports suggesting they had agreed to support the consensus candidature of the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu. They affirmed that Issa-Onilu did not obtain the party’s nomination form and was therefore not part of the contest.
Meeting with National Leadership
The concerns were raised at a two-day meeting with the national leadership of the APC in Abuja during the week. Among those present were Hon. Dr. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa (BOB), Sen Salihu Mustapha, Sen Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, Alhaji Tajudeen Abdulkadir Audu, Dr. Toyin Tajudeen Alabi, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Bio Omar, Dr. Muyideen Salako, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahya Seriki, and Captain Ahmad Mahmud.
Elders Caucus Position
Speaking for the delegation, Chairman of the Kwara APC Elders Caucus, Chief James Bamisaye Ayeni, maintained that no governorship primary election was conducted to produce Danladi-Salihu as the party’s candidate. He stressed that the APC had neither endorsed nor adopted any aspirant for the 2027 governorship race.
“To the best of our knowledge, the party has not published the endorsement of any candidate in Kwara State. We therefore caution the planners of this desperate attempt not to drag our highly respected royal fathers into an intra-party matter,” Ayeni said.
Traditional Rulers Must Remain Neutral
Ayeni noted that traditional rulers occupy a non-partisan position and should remain above political contests and calculations. Involving royal fathers in internal party affairs would set a dangerous precedent and undermine the neutrality of the traditional institution.
He recalled that even during the controversial process that produced the APC governorship candidate in 2018, traditional rulers were neither involved nor consulted. There had been no previous instance where traditional rulers, state elders, or key stakeholders were mobilised to visit the President to appreciate appointments given to prominent indigenes of the state.
The elders’ caucus further argued that no such mobilisation had occurred in recognition of federal efforts to address security challenges in the state or to advocate for greater opportunities for Kwara citizens. The group therefore appealed to traditional rulers across the state to resist any attempt by political actors to draw them into partisan activities.
“We urge our respected traditional rulers not to allow anyone, regardless of status, to drag the traditional institution into the affairs of political parties or partisan politics,” the statement added.
Growing Tensions
The development signals growing tension in the Kwara APC as political alignments and succession calculations ahead of the 2027 governorship election take shape.
