Gov AbdulRazaq didn't mobilise monarchs over insecurity, but to pressure Tinubu to endorse Danladi

…say palace not a rubber stamp for unpopular governorship selection

…urge Tinubu not to confer presidential endorsement on ‘flawed’ process

…accuse governor of forcing traditional institution into partisan politics

…say killing of monarch did not attract similar intervention

Ten governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have criticised Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over the mobilisation of selected traditional rulers to Abuja, arguing that no such effort was made when communities across the state were grappling with insecurity and bandit attacks.

The aspirants made the remarks in an open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, appealing to him not to allow the traditional institution to be used to legitimise what they described as a flawed process that produced Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The letter was jointly signed by Senator Saliu Mustapha, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki Gambari, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, Dele Belgore (SAN), Dr. Bashir Bolarinwa, Capt. Ahmad Mahmud, Dr. Oluwatoyin Alabi, Alhaji Tajudeen Audu, Hon. Omar Bio and Dr. Azeez Salako.

The aspirants alleged that the visit by selected first-class traditional rulers and APC stakeholders to the Presidential Villa was aimed at securing President Tinubu’s endorsement for Danladi’s candidacy despite opposition from within the party.

They urged the President not to be swayed by the delegation and insisted that the traditional institution should not be drawn into partisan political contests.

According to them, one of the most troubling aspects of the development was that no delegation of royal fathers was mobilised to Abuja when several parts of Kwara were under siege from bandits and criminal elements.

The aspirants cited attacks in Baruten, Kaiama, Patigi and Edu Local Government Areas, as well as insecurity in Ifelodun, Irepodun and Isin, noting that even the killing of a traditional ruler did not prompt a similar visit to seek federal intervention.

“When bandits turned Baruten, Kaiama, Patigi, and Edu into killing fields, and when the same wave of terror culminated in the gruesome killing of a traditional ruler, no delegation of royal fathers was mobilised to the Villa,” they said.

“The throne could not be packed to Abuja when its own was murdered. Yet it is now roadworthy for a partisan errand?”

The aspirants also questioned what they described as the selective deployment of the traditional institution, noting that royal fathers were not mobilised to Abuja to appreciate President Tinubu for key federal appointments given to Kwarans.

They listed appointments such as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

According to them, it was ironic that traditional rulers were not assembled to thank the President for such appointments but were now being mobilised in support of a governorship aspirant.

The aggrieved aspirants maintained that the palace belongs to all Kwarans and should not be perceived as endorsing one side in an internal party dispute.

They therefore urged Tinubu to receive the monarchs with respect but not as lobbyists for a contested candidacy, while also calling on him to publicly withhold presidential endorsement from what they described as a disputed selection process.

The latest appeal comes amid growing tension within the Kwara APC following the emergence of Danladi as the party’s governorship candidate.

The development also follows the arrival in Abuja of selected traditional rulers from Kwara North and Kwara South, alongside APC stakeholders loyal to Governor AbdulRazaq, for consultations aimed at consolidating support for Danladi’s candidacy ahead of the 2027 election.

The trip was widely viewed as part of efforts by the governor’s political camp to secure the backing of President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC for Danladi’s emergence.

The open letter is the second major intervention by the aspirants within days. Last week, they wrote the President, warning that the APC was facing a deepening crisis in Kwara and alleging that Governor AbdulRazaq had lost the moral and political authority to determine the party’s future in the state.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding Danladi’s candidacy has also moved to the courts.

A civil society organisation, Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative, has filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging his nomination over alleged double participation in both the APC governorship primary and the House of Assembly primary for Ilesha/Gwanara Constituency during the 2026 election cycle.

The suit is seeking, among other reliefs, the nullification of his governorship candidacy and an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising him as the APC candidate if the action succeeds.