2027: Kwara APC gov candidate vows to sustain AbdulRazaq’s achievements
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, has pledged to consolidate the achievements of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and take the state to greater heights if elected in the 2027 governorship election.
Danladi-Salihu, who is also the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, said his familiarity with the state’s development challenges and seven years of legislative experience had prepared him for purposeful leadership, insisting that Kwara needed continuity and further development rather than a return to what he described as its difficult past.
He made the remarks during a courtesy visit to the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), where he discussed his political journey, legislative experience, achievements and development agenda ahead of the 2027 election, maintaining that he was not entering the governorship race as an outsider, having served as speaker since 2019 and participated in legislative processes supporting the present administration’s programmes.
According to him, his experience in the legislature, particularly through the assembly’s appropriation and oversight responsibilities, had given him a broad understanding of governance and the relationship between policy formulation and implementation, while he also highlighted his academic background in electrical engineering, additional programmes in revenue management, peace, conflict and security studies, and ongoing PhD studies in economic development.
Reflecting on his representation of Ilesha/Gwanara Constituency, the APC candidate identified potable water, rural roads, healthcare, education and security as major concerns that had informed his legislative interventions, disclosing that he facilitated about 210 boreholes during his first term, alongside the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads, including a 33-kilometre road linking communities that had previously endured several hours of travel during the rainy season for journeys that should ordinarily take about 30 minutes.
On healthcare and security, Danladi-Salihu said he facilitated interventions in 18 primary healthcare centres and supported efforts to improve existing general and cottage hospitals, while also facilitating the training of 300 local security personnel to strengthen surveillance and intelligence gathering in vulnerable communities, particularly border settlements in Baruten Local Government Area; he added that his interventions had extended beyond his constituency through development projects and empowerment programmes made possible by his position as speaker.
Looking ahead, he identified human capital development, agriculture, electricity and rural infrastructure as priorities of his proposed administration, stressing that improved road networks linking farming communities to urban markets would reduce transportation costs, boost farmers’ earnings and contribute to lower food prices, while partnerships with investors had already facilitated alternative electricity arrangements, including solar-powered solutions in some rural communities in Baruten; he also called for sustained collaboration among security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders and local authorities to address insecurity.
Addressing the political debate surrounding calls to rescue Kwara, Danladi-Salihu questioned the rationale behind such demands, describing AbdulRazaq as a leader who had laid a solid foundation for the state and pledging to sustain ongoing programmes while improving on existing achievements, with balanced development across the three senatorial districts; meanwhile, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Biola Azeez, reaffirmed the chapel’s commitment to cordial relations with political stakeholders and called for stronger engagement with the APC candidate, while the event was attended by his running mate, Hon. Seun Ogunniyi; Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government, Hon. Babatunde Ladan; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aminah El-Imam; members of the APC governorship campaign team and other stakeholders.
