Youth political groups across the three senatorial districts of Kwara State have rallied support for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Speaker Yakubu Salihu Danladi, saying his youthful energy is backed by years of political organisation, legislative experience and leadership.

The groups said Danladi's emergence had introduced a new dimension to the 2027 governorship contest, particularly as a younger generation of Kwarans continues to move into positions of political and institutional responsibility.

The position was contained in a joint statement by the Kwara North Integrity Youth Forum (KNIYF), Ilorin Emirate Dynamic Youths (IEDY) and Kwara South Young Professionals in Politics (KSYPIP).

The statement was signed by their respective coordinators, Aliyu Likofu, Abdulwaheed Olamilekan and Owoduni Rasheed Adekunle.

Likofu said Danladi's age should be viewed alongside the political experience he had accumulated over the years, stressing that his journey into the governorship race began long before his emergence as Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

"Danladi, at 41, is bringing youthful energy into the governorship contest, but his age does not tell the full story of his political experience," Likofu said.

He said Danladi began his political career through student politics before moving into partisan mobilisation, including his coordination of the Buhari Campaign Organisation in Kwara North in 2011 and his role as youth coordinator for the Yinusa Yahaya campaign in the same senatorial district in 2015.

According to him, that political apprenticeship provided Danladi with years of exposure to organisation and mobilisation before he entered elective politics.

"His rise from student politics to the highest legislative office in the state has given him a political career spanning considerably longer than his relatively young age might suggest," he said.

Likofu noted that Danladi was elected to represent Ilesha/Gwanara Constituency in 2019 and became Speaker of the Ninth Assembly at the age of 34.

He added that Danladi retained the constituency in 2023 and continued as Speaker of the Tenth Assembly.

"The significance of his candidacy lies in the fact that he is not approaching the governorship as a political newcomer. His years of organising, constituency representation and legislative leadership have given him an unusual political head start for a candidate of his age," Likofu said.

Olamilekan said Danladi's emergence should also be understood against the background of the changing political environment in Kwara State and the growing participation of younger people in governance. He recalled that the 2019 election brought Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the APC to power, after which younger people were increasingly brought into cabinet and other government positions.

"The AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration has cultivated a reputation for youth inclusion, with young people appointed as commissioners, special advisers and other government officials," Olamilekan said. He added that the governor had publicly encouraged young Nigerians to move beyond waiting for leadership and take active positions in governance.

According to him, Danladi's candidacy represents a further expression of that process, with a younger political generation now moving from participation and mobilisation into the contest for executive leadership.

"Danladi's emergence is significant because it shows how a younger generation that has spent years operating within the political machinery can now move into the highest level of political contest in the state," he said.

Olamilekan said Danladi's youthful profile was strengthened by the experience he had acquired within the political and legislative system.

He said his transition from student politics and campaign organisation to constituency representation and the speakership demonstrated a progression through different levels of political responsibility.

Adekunle, the coordinator of KSYPIP, said the 2027 contest would provide Danladi with the opportunity to build on that experience while presenting his own identity and political vision to the electorate. He said the APC candidate would be contesting against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Engineer Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, former federal lawmaker Zakari Mohammed.

Adekunle, however, said the presence of established political figures would make the contest more significant without diminishing the experience and political foundation Danladi was bringing into the race.

"Danladi will translate his legislative visibility and political experience into a statewide coalition, but he is entering that process with years of political organisation, constituency representation and legislative leadership behind him," he said.

He said Danladi would also have the opportunity to defend the record of the APC administration, carry forward the political legacy of the AbdulRazaq administration and establish an identity of his own.

Adekunle said the regional dimension would also feature prominently in the contest, with Danladi and Zakari both from Kwara North, while Kawu comes from Kwara Central.

He said the development meant that Kwara North's longstanding demand for the governorship would itself be contested by more than one candidate, adding another layer to the political calculations ahead of 2027.

"But Danladi enjoys the advantage of his years of political mobilisation, constituency representation and legislative leadership", he said.

The groups said Danladi's legislative experience would be particularly relevant as he seeks to make the transition from the legislature to executive leadership.

They noted that the Speaker's responsibilities include managing the legislative chamber, building consensus among lawmakers and exercising oversight over the executive, while the governor directs the executive machinery, manages public finances and sets policy.

They said Danladi's years at the centre of state lawmaking had therefore given him an understanding of governance that would be important as he seeks the governorship.

The groups said the campaign period would provide the APC candidate an opportunity to take his manifesto, policy agenda, record and vision directly to the electorate.

With state level campaigns scheduled to commence on September 9, they said the political process would increasingly shift towards the candidates' programmes, statewide reach and ability to mobilise support.

They expressed confidence that Danladi's combination of youthful energy, political experience and legislative leadership would give him a strong platform as the 2027 governorship contest gathers momentum.

The February 6, 2027 election, they said, would provide the electorate the opportunity to determine the next direction of Kwara State, with Danladi positioned as a leading figure of the younger generation seeking to take its experience and energy into executive leadership.