EXCLUSIVE: Council chairmen told to mobilise funds for Danladi’s campaign rally, sources say
…as billions of naira disappear from local government funds
Chairmen of the 16 local government areas in Kwara State have been directed to mobilize funds in support of campaign rallies for Speaker Salihu Yakubu-Danladi, according to two people familiar with the directive.
The rallies, which began last week in Kwara North, are expected to extend across the state’s three senatorial districts as political maneuvering intensifies ahead of the All Progressive Congress’ primaries.
According to a top source briefed on the discussions, the push for the rallies follows efforts by the state governor to position Danladi as his preferred party candidate for the gubernatorial election. Those efforts have faced resistance in Abuja, where Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, a former state party chairman, is said to have secured backing from the presidency.
The competing interests have unsettled the state’s ruling party as the governor moves to counter Bolarinwa’s backing. Sources said the governor activated his networks, including fellow governors and traditional rulers from Kwara North and South, in a bid to persuade President Bola Tinubu and key power brokers to consider an alternative.
While those efforts have yet to yield results, the sources said the governor has signaled that large-scale pre-primary rallies should begin across the state in support of Danladi as a demonstration of his acceptability.
“The council chairmen were called to organize rallies for the speaker across their local government. While each is to pick a different venue in their local government and date, the fund will be coming from their pocket. This is a form of solidarity to the governor’s effort in Abuja. The governor is yet to get a positive result as the power brokers are still insisting on Bolarinwa,” the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
An aide to one of the council chairmen said the strategy is aimed at generating coverage that could bolster Danladi’s profile nationally.
“Considering that the speaker is not very well known to power brokers in Abuja, they need images and videos of massive rallies from Kwara State in national newspapers and television stations to convince that he is and will be a popular candidate. That was how the local government chairmen came in. The governor considers that they have enough funds in their coffers to mobilise thousands of supporters and bring in news people to cover these events. And that is what we are seeing playing out,” the aide said, also speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Lawmakers in the State House of Assembly have also contributed to the effort, according to two legislative sources familiar with the matter.
“They have a forum. It was at that forum meeting that they sat down and thought the best way to support the struggle is to also contribute money for the rally. All of them agreed except a few who aren’t on good terms with the speaker and are not even invited for the talks,” one of the sources said.
Not all lawmakers participated, the sources added, citing divisions within the assembly and strained relations between some members and the speaker.
At the same time, the governor has continued consultations in Abuja, seeking to counter Bolarinwa. Several meetings were held last week, though no definitive shift has emerged, according to people familiar with the talks.
“The governor for his part is working tirelessly in Abuja to get Bolarinwa out. He had tried to convince the presidency that it was Kwara North’s turn. He had rallied governors and traditional rulers, but this effort is yet to pay off,” a top government source said.
Even as these efforts continue, sources familiar with the governor’s thinking said he is also weighing the possibility of dropping Danladi in favour of an aspirant considered more acceptable to the presidency.
“There have been a series of meetings. We are not certain of the final position yet, but there is possibility of an alignment because the governor has become flexible in his preferred choice too. Bolarinwa is his sworn enemy. The governor feels it will be a disaster for him to emerge,” a source in Abuja told The Informant247 last week.
The rivalry between the governor and Bolarinwa dates back a few years. In 2021, the governor backed moves that led to Bolarinwa’s removal as state party chairman, replacing him with Abdullahi Samari in an acting capacity after alleging that Bolarinwa had worked against him.
Governor struggles to mobilise stakeholders
While the governor has no difficulty mobilising Local Government chairman and traditional rulers, sources said it has become increasingly difficult to rally other major party stakeholders in the state.
“Other candidates and stakeholders now believe the governor has a preferred choice and may not be acting in good faith. As a result, many are reluctant to join efforts to pressure the presidency. While most of them are also uncomfortable with Bolarinwa, they are not aligning with the governor, except for one aspirant who has remained consistently loyal to him,” a source told The Informant247 last week.
“Others are applying pressure through different channels. There is also a shared concern that if the PDP fields a strong candidate from Kwara Central, it could spell trouble for the APC.”
Billions disappear from LG coffers in 2025
While council chairmen mobilise funds to support the speaker’s aspiration, an investigation by The Informant247 has found that billions of naira were spent by some local governments in 2025 on projects that residents say do not exist.
Financial documents reviewed by The Informant247 show that about N5 billion was recorded under “Social Protection for Old Age” in five of the 16 local government areas.
In Moro, N2,105,380,874.16 was listed under the category. Asa recorded N1,269,447,230.28, Ilorin South N2,571,974,193.95, Kaiama N1,153,199,608.68, and Ekiti N13,863,500.
Residents in some of the areas said they have not seen evidence of such programmes.
“It is our children that are taking care of us. Not even the state government. The local government has not done anything to improve our lives,” said Rukayat Ibrahim, a resident of Alapa in Asa Local Government Area.
Attempts to reach local officials for comment were unsuccessful, as calls to the affected council chairmen went unanswered.
