Agitation over the Kwara North 2027 governorship intensifies as youths, monarchs and political groups clash over zoning and merit ahead of elections

With less than two years to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, agitation over the Kwara North 2027 governorship has intensified as youth groups, traditional rulers and political organisations stake rival positions on whether the state’s top job should be zoned to the senatorial district.

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The clamour, led prominently by youths from Kwara North, has gathered momentum across the state, reviving long standing debates over equity, fairness and political inclusion in Kwara’s democratic history.

At the centre of the push is the Kwara North Youth Consultative Forum, whose members have engaged counterparts in Kwara Central and Kwara South, arguing that the district has yet to produce a governor since the return to democracy in 1999.

The group’s chairman, Dr Abduldayan Haruna, described the demand as a collective quest for justice rather than a sectional agenda.

Dr Haruna said Kwara North had consistently supported other districts politically and deserved reciprocal backing in 2027, calling the moment pivotal for unity and inclusion in the state.

The forum’s spokesperson, Nura Muhammed, reinforced the argument by pointing to what he described as an imbalance in power rotation, noting that Kwara Central has held the governorship for more than 20 years, while Kwara South has governed for eight years.

Traditional rulers from Kwara North have added significant weight to the agitation, lending their royal voices to calls for zoning.

Meeting under the Kwara State Council of Chiefs and Obas at the palace of the Etsu Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, the monarchs urged political parties to zone their governorship tickets to Kwara North in the 2027 election.

In a communique signed by several first class rulers, including the Emir of Lafiagi, the Emir of Kaiama and the Oba of Jebba, the council declared that fairness, equity and justice demanded that Kwara North produce the next governor.

The monarchs identified unity as the strongest instrument for achieving the aspiration and called for alliances with Kwara Central and Kwara South, as well as engagement with national party leaders in Abuja.

The traditional rulers later took their appeal to Kwara South through a town hall meeting, where the chairman of Kwara South Traditional Rulers, the Olupo of Ajase Ipo, Oba Ismail Yahaya Alebiosu, described the engagement as historic.

Other monarchs from Offa, Omu Aran, Illofa and Igbaja also praised the dialogue, calling it one of the most impactful inter regional engagements in recent times.

Within the ruling All Progressives Congress, three notable figures from Kwara North have emerged as governorship hopefuls: Senator Umar Sadiq, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Engr Yakubu Danladi Salihu, and Alhaji Tajudeen Audu, the Makama of Lafiagi.

The trio have reportedly agreed to support whoever secures the party’s ticket, while no aspirant has formally emerged from Kwara Central or Kwara South.

However, opposition to zoning has grown louder.

The Kwara Integrity Movement warned that restricting the contest to any district risks undermining democracy and reducing leadership selection to geography.

Its chairman, Hon Oniwara Babatunde, argued that Kwara needed the boldest ideas and strongest leadership rather than sectional politics.

Hon Babatunde also cautioned against what he described as the creeping politicisation of traditional institutions, warning that involving monarchs in partisan advocacy could erode their moral authority and unifying role.

Similar concerns were raised by another APC group, the Kwara Political Leaders of Thought, which urged the party’s national leadership not to impose a governorship candidate or adopt zoning in 2027.

The group’s leader, Mohammed Mariam Alhassan, said worsening insecurity across the state demanded competence and capacity rather than sentimental calculations.

Alhassan said the leadership question confronting Kwara was no longer about where a candidate comes from, but who possesses the courage, experience and vision to confront banditry, terrorism and declining public confidence in governance.

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As the debate deepens, the contest over the Kwara North 2027 governorship reflects a broader struggle between demands for equity and calls for open competition, setting the stage for a decisive and closely watched political season in the state.