The publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the particulars of candidates for the 2027 governorship election has formally set the stage for the contest for the Kwara State Government House.
The list places All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Salihu Yakubu Danladi, and his running mate, Bello Mubarak Salau, among the contenders for the governorship seat, with the development already generating discussions around political succession and generational change in the state.
Thirteen candidates are now in the race in what political observers have described as a potentially fiercely contested election.
Tribune Online reports that the INEC list shows Danladi facing candidates including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Engineer Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu, from Kwara Central, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Zakari Mohammed, who hails from Kwara North.
However, a joint statement by youth stakeholders drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state said the emergence of the candidates had brought into focus a contest that could go beyond the search for a successor to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The statement was jointly issued by the Kwara North Integrity Youth Forum (KNIYF), Ilorin Emirate Dynamic Youths (IEDY) and Kwara South Young Professionals in Politics (KSYPIP).
The groups described Danladi’s candidacy as a significant development in Kwara’s political evolution, particularly because of his age, political background and the possibility of a new generation moving from participation in governance to seeking executive leadership of the state.
According to the Coordinator of KNIYF, Aliyu Likofu, the development has placed the APC ticket at the centre of a contest with implications beyond the search for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s successor.
He said the election presented an opportunity to alter the political history of a state where, according to the group, the governorship had never been held by an elected politician from Kwara North since 1999.
‘The 41-year-old Speaker of the Kwara state House of Assembly was born in Gwanara, Baruten Local Government Area, and has built a political career through student activism, youth mobilisation and legislative leadership.
‘He has also served in student union positions at Kaduna Polytechnic before moving into partisan politics, including campaign coordination roles in 2011 and 2015.
‘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. So he is prepared for the race’, he said.
For his part, the Coordinator of IEDY, Abdulwaheed Olamilekan, said Danladi’s political trajectory had made his candidacy symbolic of a generation that entered mainstream politics through mobilisation before gradually moving into positions of institutional authority.
‘The symbolism is strengthened by the changing political environment in Kwara state.
‘The AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration has repeatedly promoted youth participation in governance, with younger people occupying cabinet and other government positions.
‘But the election will determine how far the movement has matured into an electoral force’, he submitted.
Also speaking, Owodunni Rasheed Adekunle of KSYPIP said Danladi’s candidacy represented both continuity and change for the APC.
‘For the APC, Danladi’s candidacy, therefore, 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.
‘As campaigns for the governorship formally commence on September 9, attention will increasingly shift to the candidates’ programmes, records and capacity to build statewide support.
‘For Danladi, the February 6, 2027 election will ultimately answer whether his political generation is ready not merely to participate in governing Kwara but to take charge of it’.