According to a news report from LEADERSHIP, Senator Sadiq Umar, representing Kwara North senatorial district in the National Assembly, has articulated the pressing need to relocate the gubernatorial seat of Kwara State to the Northern senatorial zone by 2027, citing the imperative of harmonising all interests within the state.

Umar stressed that Kwara's cherished motto of 'State of Harmony' would remain incomplete if any segment of the state is deprived of the chance to produce a governor. Emphasising the significance of inclusivity, he asserted that granting Kwara North the opportunity to occupy the seat of power in 2027 would foster a sense of belonging among its people.

The senator underscored the authenticity and long-standing nature of the demand for power shift to Kwara North, noting the absence of a governor from the region since Nigeria's transition to democratic governance approximately 24 years ago.

“That agitation can’t be more genuine than any genuine agitation. It is genuine as any genuine agitation, and I think this has been on for a very long time. We are all parts of the history of how Kwara North has fared. But to me, my honest and straightforward opinion about this is that it is not about agitation for Kwara North, it is about agitation for Kwara State.

“What do we say in Kwara State? We say Kwara is the ‘State of Harmony’. What is the technical meaning of harmony? It means everybody is living harmoniously, and it means that every section of the state must harmonise our aspirations and interests. So, if some regions have had the opportunity to produce the governor more than others, for a region like ours, since 1999, we have not had that opportunity.

“We are saying in Kwara North that the state has to give an opportunity to a Kwara northerner to also sit on the chair. Not because he is going to be a governor for Kwara North, he has to be the governor of Kwara State. But everybody will feel happy that the tripod is in harmony. So, if you say equity, fairness or whatever, those are grammar, but in democracy it is people who vote and make a choice of who they want to make as a governor. There is nothing you can do about that.

“But we are saying this in Kwara North because we don’t have that opportunity yet, let us make sure that Kwara State is a ‘State of Harmony’ by harmonising all our collective aspiration and then everybody will have that sense of belonging and we will be proud that the state lives in harmony. So, it is a very genuine agitation,” Senator Umar argued.