Kwara 2027:10 APC Aspirants Alert Presidency to Alleged Plot to Enlist Monarchs for Danladi-Salihu
By Afusat Agunbiade-Oladipo
Ten governorship aspirants and members of the Elders Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara have alleged a plot to enlist traditional rulers in the state to support the emergence of Speaker of the Kwara House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 elections.
The aspirants claimed that some individuals were mobilising traditional rulers to visit President Bola Tinubu to purportedly thank him for endorsing Danladi-Salihu as the APC governorship candidate.
The group also dismissed speculations that it had adopted the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, as its preferred candidate, insisting that he did not participate in any nomination process.
The concerns were raised during a meeting with the national leadership of the APC held in Abuja on June 17 and June 18.
The aspirants at the meeting were Dr Bashir Bolarinwa, Sen. Salihu Mustapha, Sen. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Alhaji Tajudeen Audu, Dr Toyin Alabi, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Bio, Dr Muyideen Salako, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), Amb. Abdulfatai Seriki and Capt. Ahmad Mahmud.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Chairman of the Kwara APC Elders Caucus, Chief James Ayeni, said no governorship primary election had been conducted in the state to produce Danladi-Salihu as the party’s candidate.
He also maintained that the APC had not adopted any consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Kwara.
“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 alleged move not to drag our revered traditional rulers into intra-party affairs.
“Traditional rulers are fathers to all and should remain insulated from partisan political activities,” he said.
Ayeni described the reported attempt to involve monarchs in APC’s internal affairs as unprecedented and inappropriate.
According to him, traditional rulers in the state have never been involved in the nomination or emergence of candidates of any political party.
He noted that even during previous governorship nomination processes in the state, monarchs were not enlisted to support any aspirant.
The APC elder further said there was no record of traditional rulers being mobilised to visit the Presidency to appreciate appointments given to prominent indigenes of the state since 2019.
He urged the monarchs not to allow themselves to be drawn into partisan politics or the internal affairs of any political party.
“We appeal to our respected traditional rulers not to permit anyone, regardless of status, to drag the traditional institution into partisan political activities,” Ayeni said.