2027: Kwara group rejects zoning

Chairman, KIM, Hon. Oniwara Ibrahim Babatunde (m) addressing media in Ilorin on Wednesday. Credit: Dare Akogun

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The Kwara Integrity Movement has dismissed fresh calls to zone the 2027 governorship position, insisting that the state has no history of rotational governorship and thus warning that attempts to introduce zoning ahead of the next election could derail merit-based leadership.

Speaking at a press conference in Ilorin on Wednesday, the group’s Chairman, Hon. Oniwara Ibrahim Babatunde, said the zoning agitation was being promoted by political actors “seeking shortcuts to power” and not by the generality of Kwarans.

Oniwara said historical election data clearly shows that all three senatorial districts Kwara North, Central, and South have contested every governorship cycle since 1999, noting that no election in the state has ever been conducted based on zoning or any rotational arrangement.

“This record is unambiguous,” he said. “Kwara has never practised zoning not once. Our governorship has always been open to all parts of the state. It is not in our political DNA, and it should not be imposed artificially on Kwarans now.”

He described zoning as a “false narrative designed to reduce leadership to birthplace rather than competence,” insisting that the race for Government House in 2027 must remain open and competitive.

The group also questioned the motivation behind renewed calls for zoning the seat to Kwara North, arguing that leadership should be earned through capacity, vision, and character, not by geographical entitlement.

“The agitation raises fundamental questions,” Oniwara said. “For whom is the zoning being championed? Is it truly for the people of Kwara North or for the personal ambition of a few?”

He maintained that what Kwara needs is “a governor for all, not a sectional leader.”

KIM expressed worry over what it called the “creeping politicisation” of traditional institutions, warning that reports of monarchs being dragged into lobbying and political visits pose a serious threat to institutional neutrality.

“Our highly revered Obas and Emirs travelling across the state for political lobby should be avoided,” the group further stressed. “Today, it is traditional rulers; tomorrow, religious leaders and civil servants may follow.

“Our expectations as a group ahead of the 2027 governorship contest, including an open and competitive contest merit-based leadership selection,

a competent governor for all Kwarans, regardless of zone and protection of democratic values from what it described as artificial political boundaries.

“Kwara’s future is too important to be reduced to zoning politics,” KIM declared. “We must encourage every qualified, credible, and visionary Kwaran North, South or Central to step forward. Kwara comes first, always,” he insisted.

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