How Mustapha’s Turaki of Ilorin Title Ruptures Existing Power Blocs

The recent turbaning of a national chairmanship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Saliu Mustapha, as the Turaki of Ilorin, a position previously held by a former Senate Leader, the late Dr. Olusola Saraki, and his son, a former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has potentially ruptured the power blocs in Kwara State, Chuks Okocha reports The ancient Hausa-Fulani kingdoms’ chieftaincy systems recognise the Turaki as an officer at the palace court, but the title means more than that in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, considering its history and significance of the previous occupiers to the power dynamics of the emirate and state’s politics at large. The revered Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, recently filled the position, which had been vacant for over two years. He announced this amongst other traditional titles conferred on eminent and illustrious sons of the ancient city including the new Matawalle of Ilorin, formerly held by the late AbdulRazaq Ganiyu, the father of the incumbent Governor of the state and the first attorney in the entire northern Nigeria. The eldest son of the father of the Kwara State governor, Dr. Alimi AbdulRazaq, now holds the title. But of all the nine titles, one stood out — The Turaki of Ilorin, which was bestowed upon Saliu Mustapha on the account of his enormous contributions to the emirate and his unending acts of philanthropy. The aspiring Chairman of the ruling APC, believed to be an underdog in the tight race with former governors and senators, might have added another feather to his cap by clinching this title. Political observers say the development shows Mustapha’s influence and also a power shift from the Saraki hegemony in Kwara State. This is because, the patriarch of the Saraki dynasty and a Second Republic Senate Leader, the late Dr. Olusola Saraki, was the first most visible bearer of the title after the billionaire business mogul, the late Alhaji Sani Okin. The strong man of Kwara politics later relinquished the position after he rose to the rank of Waziri of Ilorin, a title he held until his death in 2012. Saraki’s eldest son and a former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, was named the Turaki in 2006, while serving as the governor of the state. And like his late father, he was elevated to the office of the Waziri in 2018. After the elevation of the former Senate President to the position of Waziri, watchers of Kwara politics had expected that someone from the Saraki dynasty or one that matches its influence would fill the vacant Turaki title. It was therefore not surprising that the expectation was quite high at the annual Bareke where the big announcement was made. However, the power dynamics was disrupted with Sulu-Gambari’s announcement of Mustapha as the new Turaki, which was greeted with wild jubilation from the mammoth crowd present. In view of his overwhelming acceptance, some observers argue that his appointment is a liberalisation of the political space in the Ilorin Emirate from what used to be an absolute dominance by the Sarakis in the emirate’ affairs, having ruled the state for more than three decades until the APC won landslide in the 2019 election. For other observers, Mustapha represents a new order as he is the youngest ever who has held the title, and the first that has not held an elected postion in the past. It will also be gratifying for President Muhammadu Buhari to know that an office formerly held by his political rival is now occupied by his ally of nearly two decades. In 2009, when a breakaway faction of the ANPP led by Muhammadu Buhari formed the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mustapha was the national deputy chairman of the party, a position he held until the party merged to form the APC. Mustapha was also a key member of the Buhari Campaign Organisations in all the years the former military general contested presidential elections until the fourth successful bid. While some have argued that Mustapha’s political alliance with Buhari may not count when considering a consensus candidate for the post of the national chairman of the APC, the growing influence of Mustapha in Kwara politics and beyond is pronounced with the new title. Most importantly, being the youngest title holder in the Ilorin emirate, he appears to have ticked a box, demonstrating his ability to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations of the party. The APC, considering the wide dichotomy amongst different age grades, needs a thoroughbred party man who can marry the interests of both ranks. “I have the widest experience so far. The records are there to show. I’ve learnt to manage people, I have learnt to accommodate different interests, and I have learnt to stabilise political platforms from some of the best hands that have managed political parties before in the history of politics in Nigeria. I have also paid my dues,” the 49-year-old had reportedly said in an interview. By and large, analysts believe that Mustapha is a man to watch, not only in the political dynamics of Kwara State but especially at the national level as the APC national convention, in which he is a key player draws near. The Mutawalle title, like the Turaki which passed from the late elder Saraki to his son, Bukola, was also last held by the late patriarch of Abdulrazaq family, AGF Abdulrazaq Ganiyu, who was the first Commissioner for Finance in the Kwara State as well as the first lawyer in the whole of northern Nigeria. Others honoured at the event include Ilorin-born Islamic scholars, Sheikh Farouq Suleiman Onikijipa, who was appointed the 4th Grand Mufti of Ilorin, Professor Yakubu Aliagan, who was conferred with the title of Seriki Malami of Ilorin, Sheikh AbdulRahman Sholagberu who was appointed the Malami Ubandoma of Ilorin, among others.