Leave royal fathers out of politics, 10 aggrieved Kwara aspirants warn

Ten governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State have urged President Bola Tinubu to resist what they described as attempts to use the state’s traditional institution to secure endorsement for the party’s governorship candidate, Speaker Salihu Danladi.

The aspirants made the appeal in an open letter dated Monday, amid reports that selected first-class traditional rulers from Kwara State were being mobilised to visit the Presidential Villa in Abuja over the 2027 governorship race.

Danladi, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, had emerged winner of the APC governorship primary held on May 22, 2026, scoring 94,990 votes to defeat 14 other aspirants.

The result was announced by the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, at the Banquet Hall, Ilorin.

However, the aggrieved aspirants said they remained unconvinced by the outcome of the exercise and raised concerns over what they described as fresh efforts to confer legitimacy on the process through the involvement of royal fathers.

They said, “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 jointly 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 reaffirming their loyalty to the APC, the aspirants insisted that internal party democracy must not be compromised.

“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.

“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 involvement of traditional rulers in efforts to validate the outcome of a disputed party primary risks eroding the neutrality and moral authority that have distinguished the institution over the years,” they added.

The aspirants expressed concern that such engagements could create the impression of a unified political endorsement within the state APC, contrary to realities on the ground.

“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 stated.

They also noted that their earlier objections to the governorship primary had been formally communicated to the party leadership but remained 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.

“It is therefore important that any engagement involving traditional rulers should not be interpreted as a reflection of the position of all stakeholders within the Kwara APC,” they warned.

They also drew attention to security concerns in parts of the state, questioning the priorities behind the reported mobilisation of 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 said.

“Several communities in Baruten, Kaiama, Patigi, Edu, Ifelodun, Irepodun and Isin local government areas have faced persistent security threats, yet we have not witnessed a similar high-level royal delegation to draw national attention to their plight,” they added.

They further noted that traditional rulers had not been similarly mobilised to acknowledge federal appointments secured by Kwarans under the current administration.

“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,” the aspirants said.

The group urged President Tinubu to receive any delegation of royal fathers with respect, while cautioning against political interpretation of such visits.

“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 added.

Meanwhile, an APC chieftain in Kwara State, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has urged traditional rulers to advise Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to step back from the succession crisis to allow peace within the party.

“Tell Gov AbdulRazaq to concede, tell him to back down. That alone can solve the current crisis in Kwara APC,” Sulaiman said.

Efforts to get a reaction from the state government to the development were unsuccessful as calls and messages to the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Communication, Ibraheem Abdullateef, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

Reports had earlier indicated that a delegation of selected first-class traditional rulers and APC stakeholders loyal to the governor had travelled to Abuja to lobby support for Danladi’s candidacy ahead of 2027.

The development, according to sources, is part of a broader political push involving consultations with key APC figures and federal stakeholders, including party leadership in Abuja.

The situation reflects deepening divisions within the Kwara APC, as rival blocs intensify consultations and political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 governorship election.