As political permutations ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Kwara State continue to gather pace, a key question remains central to discussions across the state.

The question is who possesses the competence, legitimacy and capacity to sustain the reforms of the current administration and steer Kwara firmly towards greater progress.

Contrary to propaganda narratives suggesting the opposite, Kwara South is neither politically depleted nor lacking in credible contenders for the governorship race. Instead, the zone is being positioned as capable of producing what is considered one of the most qualified and prepared governorship prospects within the All Progressives Congress (APC): Professor Wale Sulaiman, a globally recognised neurosurgeon, academic, physician executive and accomplished entrepreneur.

Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy, and the APC's constitution guarantees open participation and competitive primaries for all qualified aspirants, irrespective of regional origin. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has repeatedly emphasized this principle in several fora, stressing that internal democracy and party congresses must determine candidates emergence.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has consistently reflected this ethos through his democratic posture and reform-driven governance in the state. It is therefore, within both constitutional and party frameworks for qualified aspirants from Kwara South, Kwara Central, and Kwara North to contest for the governorship in 2027, not as a concession, but as a democratic right.

The political climate across the three senatorial districts confirm this reality. Kwara Central and Kwara North have mobilised openly around their sons, with consultations and declarations already underway. This level of engagement is legitimate and expected. What is neither democratic nor strategic is the suggestion advanced by some stakeholders, that the herculean tasks of making Kwara State the envy of the nation should be decided based on zoning.

Among all the names currently circulating across the three zones, Professor Wale Sulaiman stands out, not by regional sentiments, but by the credibility of his credentials. A clear-eyed assessment of the field shows that none of the perceived emerging contenders possess his combined national relevance, international credibility, executive leadership experience, and measurable public impacts.

His political relevance did not begin in theory. Like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who returned from the diaspora in the 1980s and joined Nigerian politics on the platform of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Professor Sulaiman contested the 2023 Kwara South senatorial election on the same SDP platform. He polled over 27,000 votes, emerging third in the competitive contest, powered largely by organic professionals, mass, and youth-driven supports. After the elections, he returned to the APC in 2023, mobilized his supporters for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's re-election and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's election. He has been prioritizing party unity and long-term stability over prolonged fragmentation.

Sulaiman is also a product of the current APC administration in Kwara State. He was the first cabinet-level appointee of AbdulRazaq, serving as Special Assistant on Health Matters. His contributions to health sector reforms and his role during the COVID-19 pandemic form a verifiable part of the administration's governance records.This positions him, not as a disruptor, but a continuity candidate with in-depth knowledge of the administration's policy direction, institutionalized culture, and reforms objectives.

Beyond state politics, Prof. Sulaiman's public service credentials are dominant at the national level. He currently serves as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun (FUHSI), where his leadership has strengthened governance frameworks, infrastructural developments and driven institutionalized reforms. He recently approved the employment of over 200 academicians, 62 of whom are from Kwara. He is also a Member of the National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee of TETFund. He has served on multiple ministerial committees, including the Federal Ministry of Education's monitoring team on high-impact medical school rehabilitation projects across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Notably, he chaired the Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee for the establishment of Medical Simulation Centres nationwide, reflecting the trust in his administrative and technical competence at the federal level.

Internationally, Sulaiman's career trajectory is exceptional. He has held senior leadership positions in most advanced healthcare systems in the world. He served as System Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Co-Medical Director of the Neuroscience Institute at Ochsner Health System in the United States, where he transformed a modest programme into the number one neuroscience centre in Louisiana. He is one of the top 25 in the U.S., expanding its workforce from 10 to over 200 and growing revenue from $50 million to over $400 million. As a Medical Director of the Ochsner Back and Spine Center, he established the region's first multidisciplinary spine centre, improving patient outcomes, while saving millions through efficiency reforms. He used his leadership position at Ochsner to facilitate training opportunities for many Nigerian healthcare workers in the USA.

His executive experience also includes serving as Medical Director for Ochsner International in Sub-Sahara Africa, where he led healthcare business development, expanded operations to over 150 employees, and secured a multi-million-dollar hospital management contract with Shell Nigeria. He later served as Chief Medical Director and CEO of Shell Specialist Hospital in Port Harcourt between 2017 and 2023, overseeing complex healthcare delivery within a corporate and public-private framework. He currently practices as a Consultant Neurosurgeon in the United States. He runs one of the most respected neurosurgery and spine clinics in Nigeria- RNZ Clinic (Neurosciences).

Sulaiman's spirit of giving back to the homeland has been recognized world-wide and in Nigeria. He took a 25% paycut at his job in the USA to free up time to return to Nigeria every month to educate, teach and perform modern neurosurgery and spine surgeries, including free surgeries. He has organized multiple medical missions that have benefitted thousands of Nigerians. Former President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on him one of the highest national honours, Commander of the Order of Niger (CON), in recognition of his humanitarian and exceptional services to the country. His humanitarian footprints in Kwara State, through RNZ Foundation is unparalleled. Over 3,000 students have been supported through the RNZ JAMB Scholarship Programme, more than 100 confirmed tertiary scholarships, empowerment of over 1,500 farmers, medical outreach services for over 4,000 Kwarans, cataract and glaucoma surgeries for over 100 patients, revolving funds for market women, and numerous community projects, including borehole drilling and vocational trainings. These are data-backed interventions, not campaign rhetorics.

Kwara has witnessed significant transformations under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's administration. Therefore, the selection of the next Leader of Kwara State should be based on demonstrable capacity to build on the legacy of AA's administration, capability, vision, management, leadership, administrative and executive experience, not on ethnic or tribal sentiments; not giving it to the highest bidders, who see politics as a business investments.

The case for Prof. Wale Sulaiman is therefore, not rooted in the usual ethnic sentiments, but competence, continuity, and capacity. His blend of international executive leadership, national politics and policy exposure, state-level governance experience, and grassroots humanitarian impacts present a rare convergence in Kwara politics. We therefore call on Sulaiman, to step forward and join the governorship race in 2027.