Kwara Group Commends Tinubu for Rejecting Alleged Bid to Endorse Gubernatorial Aspirant

A group under the aegis of Concerned Kwara Leaders of Thought has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allegedly resisting pressure to endorse what it described as a “controversial and unpopular” aspirant for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Kwara State.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the group’s Convener, Alhaji Abdullahi M. Nuhu, and Secretary, Chief Ajagbe Moses, the group claimed that some political actors embarked on a failed trip to Abuja in an attempt to secure the President’s endorsement for the aspirant.

According to the statement, the delegation, which allegedly included traditional rulers from Kwara State, was unable to meet President Tinubu and was instead received by the President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, who reportedly agreed to deliver their message to the President.

The group praised President Tinubu and the APC national leadership for what it described as their commitment to due process and internal democracy by refusing to endorse any aspirant outside established party processes.

It also commended Kwara indigenes who staged a peaceful protest in Abuja against what it termed the politicisation of traditional institutions, arguing that royal fathers should not be drawn into partisan politics.

The group expressed concern over the security situation in Kwara State, alleging that hundreds of residents remain in kidnappers’ custody, and said efforts should instead be focused on addressing insecurity.

The statement further criticised what it described as attempts to pressure traditional rulers into supporting a preferred governorship candidate, insisting that such actions undermine the dignity and neutrality of the traditional institution.

The group called on the APC National Working Committee and President Tinubu to intervene by recognising any of the ten governorship aspirants it claimed were sidelined during what it described as flawed and stage-managed party primaries.

Reaffirming its position, the group urged those behind the Abuja visit to desist from actions capable of ridiculing Kwara State and compromising its traditional institutions, maintaining that democratic leadership should emerge through transparent and credible processes rather than political manipulation.