03/08/2026
2027: I Told Tinubu Not to Give APC Governorship Ticket to Offa – Olofa
The Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, has revealed that he personally advised President Bola Tinubu against zoning the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket for the 2027 Kwara State governorship election to Offa.
The monarch made the disclosure in a now-viral video recorded during a meeting with some Offa chiefs, where discussions centred on the political future of Kwara State ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the traditional ruler, President Tinubu had initially considered supporting the emergence of Senator Oyelola Ashiru, who represents Kwara South Senatorial District, as the APC governorship candidate. However, he said he persuaded the President to abandon the plan based on his assessment of the senator's performance in office.
"As things stand today, Yakubu Danladi is our governor, and Lekan is our senator," the monarch said.
Explaining his position, the Olofa said he told the President that Senator Ashiru's eight-year tenure in the Senate did not justify his governorship ambition.
"I discussed the matter with the President. Initially, they wanted to give the governorship ticket to Lola, but I changed that. When the President said it would mean that Offa would not have any top political position in 2027, I told him, 'So be it.'
"My reason was simple: he served for eight years as a senator and did not perform well," the monarch said.
Oba Esuwoye further disclosed that Senator Ashiru defended his governorship aspiration by citing projects he had attracted to Offa, but said those interventions fell short of the expectations of the people.
"Lola then said that, considering everything he had done for Offa, he deserved the opportunity. I responded by asking him, 'Of what benefit is the road you renovated leading to the Imam's house when there are many other roads that would have been far more useful to the people, yet you neglected them?'" he said.
The monarch also criticised what he described as the senator's approach to executing constituency projects.
"If he is given ₦1 billion, he will only construct a road that costs no more than ₦100 million, yet he will claim to have executed a major road project. May such injustice never prosper," he said.
The remarks have generated reactions within political circles in Kwara State, coming amid growing discussions over the APC's governorship succession ahead of the 2027 election.
As of the time of filing this report, Senator Oyelola Ashiru had yet to publicly respond to the comments attributed to the Olofa in the viral video.