“It wasn’t a collective decision,” Group kicks as Kwara gov endorses Seriki as successor
The Ilorin Emirate Political Advisory Council has faulted the endorsement of Ambassador Yahaya Seriki by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as his preferred successor ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Kwara State.
They insisted that the move was not a collective decision of stakeholders in the emirate.
The council, made up of political elites, elders, technocrats, professionals and community leaders across the Ilorin Emirate, said the governor acted within his constitutional rights to support any aspirant of his choice.
They, however, stressed that such endorsement does not represent the collective position of the emirate.
In a statement signed on Tuesday by its National Coordinator, Dr. Yahaya Oloriegbe, and National Secretary, Lt. Col. Abubakar Edun (Rtd), the council said the endorsement lacked broad consultation and failed to reflect the political and social realities of the state.
“It wasn’t a collective decision. Such a decision remains entirely personal to the Governor and does not in any way represent the collective position, aspiration, or consensus of political stakeholders within the Ilorin Emirate,” the group stated.
“The purported endorsement was neither a product of broad consultation nor evidence of deep reflection on the delicate political, social and cultural realities of our community and the state at large,” the statement added.
The group further criticised what it described as the unilateral and dismissive manner in which the endorsement was made, alleging that traditional rulers, religious leaders, elders and other critical stakeholders were sidelined in the process.
“What is even more deeply troubling in this instance is the unilateral, isolated and dismissive manner with which such a far-reaching political decision was taken without meaningful consultation,” the council said.
According to the group, the Ilorin Emirate has always upheld values of consultation, inclusion, moderation and consensus-building, warning that no individual should attempt to impose political outcomes on the people.
“No individual, regardless of position, influence or temporary political power, should undermine these cherished ideals through unilateral decisions or attempts to impose political outcomes on the people,” the statement noted.
The council, however, clarified that its objection was not directed at Ambassador Yahaya Seriki-Gambari personally, acknowledging his constitutional right to contest for the governorship position.
“As a respected son of the Ilorin Emirate, he is constitutionally entitled to pursue his political ambition like every other qualified citizen,” the group said.
It nonetheless rejected what it called the process through which Seriki’s emergence was being orchestrated and urged political stakeholders, traditional institutions, youth and women groups, as well as civil society organisations, to resist any attempt to impose candidates on the people ahead of the 2027 elections.
