Reported Umrah Trip Raises Questions Over Politics, Religion and Succession in Kwara

The reported Umrah pilgrimage involving the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Kwara State, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, and the newly appointed Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Dasuki, has sparked questions about the intersection of religion and politics in the state ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

While the Chief Imam’s decision to undertake the pilgrimage is not unusual, the reported participation of Danladi-Salihu has attracted attention because of claims that the APC candidate had, in previous years, publicly indicated that he could not undertake Hajj or Umrah because of his religious convictions and traditional beliefs.

There is nothing inherently controversial about an individual choosing to observe a particular faith or belief system. Freedom of religion guarantees individuals the right to practise according to their conscience.

However, if reports of Danladi-Salihu’s current Umrah trip are accurate, the development raises a political question: what has changed — the conviction or the election?

The question is particularly significant against the backdrop of growing speculation surrounding Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s reported succession plans.

AbdulRazaq has increasingly positioned himself as a central figure in determining the political direction of the APC in Kwara ahead of the 2027 election. Critics argue that the governor has consolidated political influence within the party and weakened alternative centres of political power.

The development has also coincided with renewed public debate over the state’s financial resources and the administration’s record in office. Critics have questioned the utilisation of the substantial funds that have accrued to the state government over the past seven years, arguing that the level of expenditure has not been matched by sufficiently visible projects.

The governor and his supporters are, however, expected to defend the administration’s record and its right to support its preferred candidate.

At the heart of the emerging political contest is a broader question of whether an incumbent governor can influence, but not determine, the choice of his successor.

Kwara voters, like voters elsewhere in Nigeria, ultimately retain the constitutional power to determine who governs them through the ballot box.

Religion and Political Legitimacy

The reported participation of the Chief Imam in the journey has generated a separate debate about the role of religious institutions in electoral politics.

There is nothing inherently political about a Muslim cleric undertaking Umrah with another Muslim. If the trip is entirely spiritual, the matter should ordinarily attract little political attention.

Concerns would arise, however, if religious symbolism were deliberately deployed to create the impression of spiritual endorsement for a political candidate.

Photographs or public appearances involving political figures at the Ka’abah or other holy sites could potentially be used during an election campaign to convey a message of religious legitimacy.

Such a development would raise legitimate questions about the appropriate boundaries between religious authority and partisan politics.

The Chief Imam of Ilorin occupies an institution that extends beyond the interests of any individual politician or political party. His position carries religious and moral significance among Muslims across political divides.

For that reason, Sheikh Bashir Dasuki faces the challenge of maintaining the independence and credibility of the office while navigating relationships with political authorities.

That concern also extends to the vehicles and other official support reportedly provided to the Chief Imam and other Islamic leaders by the Kwara State Government.

Such government-funded support should not be interpreted as creating political obligations. Public resources belong to the people and are administered by government officials on their behalf.

Consequently, the provision of official vehicles should not translate into electoral loyalty or political support for the administration or its preferred candidates.

The 2027 Question

Governor AbdulRazaq is entitled to support Danladi-Salihu, just as Danladi-Salihu is entitled to seek prayers and undertake a pilgrimage.

The Chief Imam is likewise entitled to undertake Umrah with whomever he chooses.

The larger question, however, is whether religious activities will be incorporated into the political strategy of the 2027 election.

Kwara voters are increasingly conscious of the political choices before them, and attempts to associate political candidates with religious symbolism are unlikely, on their own, to determine electoral outcomes.

The state’s electorate will ultimately have to assess the records, policies, credibility and programmes of the competing candidates.

The central issue is therefore not whether Danladi-Salihu or the Chief Imam travelled to Makkah.

It is whether religious institutions and symbols should be used to influence how voters perceive political candidates.

The answer to that question cannot be determined in Makkah. It will ultimately be determined by the people of Kwara through the electoral process.

Governor AbdulRazaq may wield considerable influence over the machinery of government and his political party. He may support a preferred successor and work to build political structures around that candidate.

But that influence has limits.

The governor cannot personally manufacture the sovereign will of the electorate.

Government House is not a throne. Kwara is not an inheritance. The Chief Imam is not a campaign instrument. And religious faith should not be reduced to an electoral endorsement mechanism.

The final decision belongs to the voters.

Come February 2027, the people of Kwara will decide who succeeds Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Until then, every candidate, political leader and religious institution will remain subject to public scrutiny.

And the fundamental principle remains unchanged:

No politician can play God.