APC may lose Kwara, Aggrieved leaders warn

The internal crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State intensified on Monday as prominent party leaders, serving and former lawmakers, governorship aspirants and elders publicly rejected alleged attempts to impose candidates ahead of the 2027 elections. They warned that the party could lose the state if its leadership fails to embrace consultation […]

The internal crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State intensified on Monday as prominent party leaders, serving and former lawmakers, governorship aspirants and elders publicly rejected alleged attempts to impose candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

They warned that the party could lose the state if its leadership fails to embrace consultation and internal democracy.

Speaking at a mass rally organised by the G-15 coalition in Ilorin, the stakeholders appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC to intervene.

They insisted that the party’s future in the state was under threat.

Former Kwara APC chairman and governorship aspirant, Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, declared that the party had not produced a governorship candidate for the 2027 election, maintaining that no valid primary had taken place.

“There is no APC governorship candidate in Kwara State yet,” Bolarinwa said, arguing that the process leading to the emergence of a purported candidate did not amount to a lawful party primary.

He urged party members to remain united while insisting that due process must be followed before any candidate could be recognised.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Saliu Mustapha, described the rally as a spontaneous expression of dissatisfaction by party members over the handling of APC affairs in the state.

According to him, the protest was not driven by personal ambition but by concerns over the absence of fairness, consultation and inclusiveness in the party’s decision-making process.

“We are protesting to register our rejection of the way and manner a particular candidate has been endorsed. We are not saying we dislike anybody. What we are saying is that stakeholders deserve consultation and a sense of belonging before such decisions are taken,” Mustapha said.

He added that participants were determined to preserve APC electoral strength in Kwara rather than pursue selfish interests.

Asked about the coalition’s next move, Mustapha said any decision would be taken collectively by party stakeholders.

Former Senator representing Kwara Central, Yahaya Oloriegbe, said concerns over transparency affected all elective positions.

“It’s not only about the governorship election. We are talking about all primary elections, from the House of Assembly to the Senate. Every stakeholder must be carried along,” he said.

Oloriegbe noted that senior figures in the party, including members of the APC Elders Caucus and former senators, were allegedly excluded from critical decisions despite their contributions to the party’s emergence in 2019.

He accused the current leadership of sidelining stakeholders both in governance and party administration.

“We have a leadership that doesn’t carry anybody along… That’s why all of us came together to rescue our party and our state,” he said.

He expressed hope that President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC would intervene before the crisis deepened.

Former Senator Lola Ashiru also framed the protest as an effort to safeguard both the APC and President Tinubu’s political legacy in Kwara.

“We are here mainly because we want to protect the legacy of our dear father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Ashiru said.

He warned that failure to resolve the internal crisis could have serious electoral consequences for the ruling party.

“If we are not careful, there will be midnight for APC in Kwara State,” he said, adding that party members were only asking the President to listen to what he described as their reasonable concerns.

On his part, a member of the elders caucus and former Senator Suleiman Ajadi criticised the concentration of political decisions in the hands of a few.

“You pocketed 24 House of Assembly seats, six House of Representatives seats, three Senate seats and the governorship without consulting anybody. Is that how to win elections? If this is sustained, APC may lose in 2027,” he said.

Salman Jawondo (SAN), who is the chairman of the local organizing committee of the event, said the rally was intended to demonstrate that the APC remained strong in Kwara but risked fragmentation if urgent steps were not taken.

“We don’t want anything that will divide us. With the way our governor is going, if care is not taken, he may wreck the party. We need the President and our party leaders to intervene,” he said.

Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, another governorship aspirant, said the gathering was equally meant to reassure President Tinubu of the group’s loyalty and the continued support of party members across the state.