Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, has pointed to his seven-year tenure as Speaker of the House of Assembly as foundational preparation for the 2027 gubernatorial race. Danladi stated that his leadership in the legislature granted him comprehensive insight into resource distribution, governance architecture, and the state's developmental imperatives.
Addressing journalists on Friday during the News Keg interactive forum hosted by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kwara State Council, Danladi argued that major infrastructural achievements recorded under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq directly stemmed from deliberate legislative appropriation procedures.
What role did the legislature play in state development?
Danladi stressed that the budgeting mechanism serves as the backbone of effective governance. He noted that every key infrastructure project delivered by the current administration originated from structured budgetary allocations where the state legislature performed an essential supervisory and endorsing function.
Beyond budget management, the APC standard-bearer asserted that his extensive legislative tenure enabled him to traverse virtually every electoral ward across the state, deepening his familiarity with local challenges and geographic peculiarities.
“Appropriation process is a key ingredient in governance, and I can attest that all the landmark projects of Governor AbdulRazaq emerged from this process,” Danladi remarked, adding that his local background and grassroots interactions have shaped his developmental vision for the state.
What grassroots interventions have been recorded?
Highlighting his constituency achievements in Ilesha/Gwanara within the Baruteen Local Government Area, Danladi pointed to the provision of over 210 motorized boreholes and various road infrastructure projects facilitated in collaboration with the state executive.
He further revealed that his office spearheaded security empowerment by partnering with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to train 300 local vigilantes, addressing security vulnerabilities linked to the region's proximity to international borders.
Framing his political aspiration as a mandate belonging collectively to the citizens of Kwara rather than a personal ambition, Danladi appeared at the forum alongside his running mate, Hon. David Oluwaseun Oguniyi. In his remarks, Oguniyi drew attention to his own background in the private sector, characterizing their joint ticket as a strategic partnership anchored on productive administrative synergy.