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

The visit, which took place on June 30, 2026, followed Danladi’s emergence as the APC’s gubernatorial flag bearer after a primary election conducted on Friday, May 23, 2026, in which he defeated fifteen other aspirants.

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

Danladi, 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 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 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 outgoing 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, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, described Danladi’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, Isa Bio Ibrahim, expressed deep gratitude to both President Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq, saying.

Meanwhile, in his personal statement following his primary victory, Danladi described his emergence as a great honour and a responsibility, thanking President Tinubu for his commitment to strengthening democratic governance and Governor AbdulRazaq for what he called a visionary and transformational leadership that has repositioned Kwara State through massive infrastructural development, healthcare improvements, and education reforms.

Rt. Hon. Engr. Salihu Yakubu Danladi is an engineer by training, the current Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, and a member of the APC from Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara North Senatorial District.