Presidency Endorses Danladi-Salihu As Kwara APC Governorship Candidate

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Saturday, May 30, 2026 formally presented Rt. Hon. Engr.  Yakubu Danladi- Salihu,  the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The visit  followed Danladi- Salihu’s  emergence as the APC’s gubernatorial flag bearer after a primary election conducted on Friday, May 23, 2026, in which he defeated 15 other aspirants.

President Tinubu’s reception for the candidate alongside Governor AbdulRazaq at Aso Rock signalled the full backing of the presidency for Danladi- Salihu’s candidature ahead of the 2027 polls.

Danladi- Salihu  who hails from Baruten local government area in Kwara north senatorial district, made history with his emergence, becoming the first candidate from the Borgu Kingdom to secure a governorship ticket from a ruling party since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.

The significance of this milestone was not lost on President Tinubu, who is himself from the Borgu region’s extended ancestral connections and had actively supported power rotation to Kwara north.

Speaking after his emergence, Danladi- Salihu  said: “I thank Mr. President. He is truly the Jagaban of Borgu. This is the first time since 1999 that Borgu kingdom will have a governorship candidate from a ruling party, and sincerely, we thank His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for looking at where he got the title Jagaban of Borgu and taking it to that side.”

The Kwara State governor also received widespread commendation for the orderly and inclusive manner in which he managed the succession process.

Danladi- Salihu described AbdulRazaq as “a man of his words, a leader and a transformer who has done very well across different sectors,” pledging to build on the achievements of the the AbdulRazaq’s  administration.

The presentation of the governorship candidate to the President has been greeted with widespread celebration across Kwara north.

The Kwara North Traditional Rulers Council, led by the Etsu Patigi, Alh Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, described Danladi- Salihu’s  emergence as a historic milestone and a clear demonstration of fairness, inclusiveness, equity, and political balance in the state.

Elders and community leaders of Kwara north, in a statement signed by former minister of Sports, Hon. Isa Bio Ibrahim, expressed deep gratitude to both President Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq on the emergence of their son as APC gubernatorial candidate.

–  Danladi – Salihu is an engineer by training and  the current speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly.