The emergence of 41-year-old Yakubu Salihu Danladi as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 Kwara State governorship election has rekindled the long standing aspiration of Kwara North to produce the state’s next governor, youth groups across the three senatorial districts have said.
They said Danladi’s candidacy also represented a significant step in the growing transition of younger politicians from mobilisation and legislative roles into executive leadership.
The position was contained in a joint statement by the Kwara North Integrity Youth Forum (KNIYF), Ilorin Emirate Dynamic Youths (IEDY) and Kwara South Young Professionals in Politics (KSYPIP), signed by their respective coordinators, Aliyu Likofu, Abdulwaheed Olamilekan and Owoduni Rasheed Adekunle.
The statement followed the publication of the particulars of governorship candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), formally placing Danladi among the candidates for the February 6, 2027 election.
Speaking on the development, Likofu said Danladi’s candidacy had created an opportunity to advance Kwara North’s longstanding aspiration for the governorship.
‘Danladi’s candidacy has created an opportunity to change political history in the state, particularly with regard to Kwara North’s longstanding aspiration for the governorship,’ he said.
Likofu said Danladi, who was born in Gwanara, Baruten Local Government Area, had built a political career through student activism, youth mobilisation and legislative leadership before emerging as the APC standard bearer.
He said the Speaker’s political journey included student union leadership at Kaduna Polytechnic, followed by campaign coordination roles in 2011 and 2015 before his entry into elective politics.
‘His breakthrough came in 2019 when he won the Ilesha/Gwanara constituency seat and was elected Speaker at 34. He returned to the Assembly in 2023 and was again elected Speaker,’ Likofu said.
He said the progression was significant because Kwara North, comprising Baruten, Edu, Kaiama, Moro and Patigi local government areas, had not produced an elected governor since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Olamilekan, for his part, said Danladi’s political trajectory was important to understanding the generational dimension of the 2027 contest, noting that his experience predated his emergence in the Assembly.
‘Danladi’s political journey predates his entry into the State House of Assembly,’ he said, citing his involvement in student leadership and subsequent participation in political mobilisation.
Olamilekan said the development also reflected the increasing movement of younger people from political participation into positions of responsibility.
‘The development also reflects how far youth participation in Kwara politics has progressed, with a new generation increasingly moving beyond political mobilisation into positions of responsibility and leadership,’ he said.
He said Danladi’s emergence on the APC ticket was a clear expression of that progression, adding that the 2027 governorship contest would provide a wider platform for the experience and energy of the younger generation to be brought to bear on the future of the state.
Olamilekan also linked the development to the youth inclusion policy of the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration, which has seen younger people appointed into cabinet and other government positions.
He said Danladi’s candidacy was therefore coming against a broader political environment in which youth participation had become more visible in the state’s governance structure.
Adekunle said Danladi’s professional and legislative background had further strengthened his credentials, describing his progression from an engineer and political organiser to Speaker of the State House of Assembly as significant.
He said Danladi’s years in the legislature had given him experience in legislation, oversight and managing the relationship between the legislative and executive arms of government.
‘His emergence represents both continuity and change: continuity with the political order established in 2019 and change through the elevation of a younger generation into the race for executive power,’ Adekunle said.
He said the 2027 contest would also bring Danladi into competition with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Sulaiman Bolakole Kawu from Kwara Central and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Zakari Mohammed, who also hails from Kwara North.
Adekunle, however, said the presence of another candidate from Kwara North did not diminish the significance of Danladi’s candidacy, given his years of political mobilisation, constituency representation and legislative leadership.
He said the development meant that Kwara North’s longstanding aspiration for the governorship would feature prominently in the 2027 contest, with Danladi bringing substantial political and legislative experience into the race.
The groups said campaigns for the election would formally begin on September 9, providing the candidates with the opportunity to present their records, programmes and vision to voters.
They said the February 6, 2027 election would consequently be significant not only for the contest for the Government House but also for the continuing evolution of political leadership and youth participation in Kwara State.