‘I Am Not Brought In By The Governor’ – Kwara APC Gov Candidate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Kwara State, Yakubu Salihu-Danladi, has dismissed claims that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq imposed him on the party ahead of the 2027 election.

Salihu-Danladi, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, said his seven years leading the legislature demonstrated his competence and readiness to govern.

In a video clip Punch obtained on Monday, the Speaker urged critics to assess his leadership record rather than attribute his emergence to the governor’s influence.

“I’m not brought in by the governor. You engage me, you will know whether I am competent or not. If I am not competent, my good friends, my colleagues, 23 of them; they would have removed me for the last seven years,” he said.

The APC candidate argued that managing lawmakers with different interests without major disagreements proved his leadership ability.

“An individual to manage legislators, to manage the legislative arm of government for seven years without rancour, no problem, things are moving, you will know that that person is capable and competent,” he stated.

He also claimed to possess greater experience than his rivals in the governorship race.

“People I am contesting with today, sincerely, I have more experience than any of them,” he said.

Responding to criticism of the Assembly’s relationship with the executive, Salihu-Danladi rejected suggestions that lawmakers had abandoned their oversight duties.

He maintained that legislative independence did not require confrontation with the governor over decisions lawmakers considered appropriate.

“What is rubber stamp? If you are doing the right thing and you say this is the right thing, must I fight you? If the executive governor is doing the right thing, what is the essence of the legislator fighting the executive?” he asked.

The Speaker said lawmakers should advise the executive where policies or proposals needed adjustment, rather than oppose government actions merely to demonstrate independence.

He also defended consultations between the two arms of government before proposals reached the Assembly.

“There is nothing this governor will bring to the Assembly that we were not carried along; before he even brings it, so what makes it a rubber stamp?” he queried.

Salihu-Danladi urged critics to consider the state’s development under AbdulRazaq when assessing the legislature’s performance.

“If they are saying rubber stamp, is there development in Kwara? If yes, why are they calling the Assembly a rubber stamp? If no, that’s when they will challenge us. We have a lot of things to show that yes, we are not rubber-stamped. We have a goal,” he said.