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Ten governorship hopefuls from the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State have called on President Bola Tinubu to avoid using the state's traditional leaders to back the party’s governorship candidate, Speaker Salihu Danladi.
The aspirants made this appeal in an open letter dated Monday. This comes as reports suggest that selected first-class traditional rulers from Kwara are being prepared to visit the Presidential Villa in Abuja regarding the 2027 governorship race.
Danladi, who is the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, won the APC governorship primary on May 22, 2026. He received 94,990 votes, defeating 14 other candidates.
Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, announced the results at the Banquet Hall in Ilorin.
Despite this, the dissatisfied aspirants expressed doubts about the primary's results. They raised concerns over new efforts to gain legitimacy for the process by involving royal leaders.
They stated, “We have received credible information that some traditional rulers from Kwara State are being mobilised to visit the Presidential Villa in what appears to be an effort to legitimise and secure endorsement for a governorship candidate whose emergence remains controversial within our party.”
The letter was signed by Dele Belgore (SAN), Ambassador Yahaya Gambari, Senator Saliu Mustapha, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, Dr Oluwatoyin Alabi, Alhaji Tajudeen Audu, Omar Bio, Dr Bashir Bolarinwa, Capt. Ahmad Mahmud, and Dr Azeez Olaniyi.
While they reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC, the aspirants stressed that internal party democracy must not be ignored. “We remain loyal members of our great party and are committed to supporting every genuine effort aimed at strengthening internal democracy, inclusiveness and unity within the APC.”
They added, “While we hold our revered royal fathers in the highest esteem and recognise their invaluable roles as custodians of our culture and tradition, we respectfully submit that traditional institutions should not be drawn into partisan political contests.”
The aspirants warned that involving traditional rulers in validating a disputed primary could undermine the neutrality and moral authority of the institution.
They pointed out, “We are concerned that a visit of this nature may create the false impression that the people and stakeholders of Kwara State are united behind a process that many party members consider flawed, exclusionary and inconsistent with democratic principles.”
They mentioned that they had previously raised their concerns about the governorship primary with party leaders, but these issues remain unresolved.
“Your Excellency will recall that our concerns regarding the conduct of the governorship primary have been communicated through lawful and constitutional channels. Those concerns have not been addressed and remain a source of anxiety among party faithful across the state.”
The aspirants insisted that any engagement with traditional rulers should not be seen as a view shared by all stakeholders in the Kwara APC.
They also highlighted security issues in some areas and questioned the decision to mobilise traditional rulers. “If royal fathers can be mobilised to Abuja in support of a governorship candidate, many citizens will naturally wonder why similar efforts have not been made to seek urgent federal intervention on the security challenges confronting communities in parts of Kwara State.”
They mentioned that communities in Baruten, Kaiama, Patigi, Edu, Ifelodun, Irepodun, and Isin local government areas are facing ongoing security threats. Yet, there has not been a similar royal delegation to focus on these issues.
The aspirants pointed out that traditional rulers were not mobilised to acknowledge federal appointments made for Kwarans under the current government.
“Likewise, despite the numerous appointments and opportunities extended to Kwarans under your administration, there has been no coordinated mobilisation of traditional rulers to express appreciation to the Presidency,” they noted.
Finally, the group asked President Tinubu to treat any delegation of royal fathers with respect. They cautioned against seeing such visits as political. “We respectfully urge Your Excellency to ensure that the traditional institution remains insulated from partisan political activities and continues to serve as a symbol of unity, fairness and moral leadership.”
“Our appeal is not borne out of hostility to any individual but from a commitment to democratic values, party cohesion and the long-term stability of the APC in Kwara State,” they concluded.
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