Ahead of the 2027 governorship race in Kwara State, two influential youth coalitions within the Kwara Central political hub have jointly declared their support for the governorship aspiration of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi.
The endorsement was formalized during a joint press conference in Ilorin on Monday by the leadership and members of the Ilorin Emirate Dynamic Youth Initiative and the Ilorin Emirate Youth Progressive for Communities.
The youth groups stated that their decision to back the head of the state’s legislature for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket is deeply rooted in the enduring values of equity, fairness, justice, and the historical necessity to balance regional power-sharing in the state.
Reading the joint text before gentlemen of the press, spokesperson for the coalitions, Hon. Abdulwaheed Olamilekan argued that structural inclusion remains the ultimate prerequisite for long-term political stability and sustainable development across Kwara’s three senatorial districts.
The groups presented a historic breakdown of executive leadership in the state since the return to civil rule in 1999 to support their agitation for a power shift;
Kwara Central: Has produced executive governors for approximately twenty years.
Kwara South: Has occupied the state’s highest political office for eight years.
Kwara North: Despite its immense contributions to the state’s socio-economic, agricultural, and electoral growth, the district is yet to produce a governor in the current democratic dispensation.
The coalitions maintained that supporting a candidate from Kwara North is a vital and timely reciprocation of the unwavering political solidarity and loyalty that the region has extended to Kwara Central over the last two decades.
“Justice is best sustained when loyalty and support are acknowledged and reciprocated. Societies that continually sideline minorities or deny them opportunities for leadership risk social tension, weakened cohesion, and unsustainable development. For lasting peace, stability, and progress, every component of the state must feel represented and valued. they said.
Beyond the geographical metrics, the groups emphasized that Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi embodies the collective aspirations of the younger generation of Kwarans who are eager to expand youth inclusion, tech-driven governance, and grassroots enterprise development.
They highlighted Danladi’s robust professional and administrative track record ranging from his background as a trained engineer and former tertiary school lecturer to his record-setting tenure leading the Kwara State House of Assembly for nearly eight consecutive years as proof of his administrative competence to manage the state effectively.
The coalitions subsequently issued a passionate call to APC party leaders, elder statesmen, traditional rulers, and voting stakeholders across the state’s sixteen local government areas to rally behind the Speaker’s aspiration. They concluded that returning the power-shift goodwill to Kwara North in 2027 is a vital, strategic investment in the collective unity and future prosperity of Kwara State.