Who gains? The Kwara APC slate moved to convert primary goodwill into sustained local and traditional support during a two-stop thank-you tour in Ekiti and Oke-Ero.
Gubernatorial candidate and Speaker of the Kwara House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Yakubu Danladi Salihu, led the delegation on Saturday. He arrived with state chairman Prince Sunday Fagbemi, party chieftains and support groups, and the team was received at the palaces of the Olosi of Osi, Oba Saliu Abdulkareem Adasofegbe, and the Alofa of Ilofa, Oba Samuel Niyi Dada. Other traditional rulers from both local governments attended the events.
Danladi thanked local residents for their turnout during the primaries and urged continued commitment to the party. "We are starting this tour in Ekiti as a mark of honour for our party Chairman. We are here to thank you for what you did during the party primaries and seek your continued support for our candidacies from our Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, down to the State House Assembly," he told supporters at the town hall in Ekiti.
He pledged to preserve the record of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, highlighting an emphasis on infrastructure, inclusive growth, human capital development and respect for traditional institutions. Danladi also asked residents to persuade neighbours who had drifted away to return to the party, saying there remained room for them on the APC platform.
Prince Fagbemi pointed to visible projects in the area, citing the completion and commissioning of the KWASU campus in Osi and the Obbo-Aiyegunle road scheme. "The only thing I want to tell our traditional rulers is that, you will agree with me that Ekiti Local Government has witnessed unprecedented growth and development since the creation of Kwara state. We now have a functioning (KWASU Campus) university," he said, adding the Osi-Obbo-Aiyegunle route has been reduced from "more than two-hour" travel time to a "10-minute drive".
At the Palace of Olosi, Fagbemi invoked traditional blessings for the candidates. "By the authorities of our traditional rulers, every blessing they bestow on you today shall be permanent so that you will succeed," he told the delegation.
Local lawmakers and aspirants also addressed the gatherings. Hon. Abolarin Ganiyu Gabriel thanked constituents for steady support and urged them to maintain that backing into 2027. Kwara South Senatorial candidate Prince Lekan Adewoye promised to prioritise community needs if elected. Traditional rulers and community elders, including Elder Dele Aina and Engineer Ogunmola, pledged unified and massive votes for the APC and called on candidates to serve diligently if given mandates.
The visits mark the opening of a statewide thank-you campaign, with the delegation signalling further stops as it seeks to translate primary momentum into broad electoral support.
