Rather than pursuing genuine reconciliation to restore peace within the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party’s major actors and their supporters appear to have embraced confrontation, raising fears of avoidable clashes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The growing division was evident on Sunday as rival camps staged separate political activities. On one side was the G15, comprising aggrieved APC governorship aspirants, the state’s three serving senators, some members of the House of Representatives, members and aspirants of the Kwara State House of Assembly, party elders and other stakeholders. On the other side were loyalists of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and his preferred governorship candidate, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.

Organisers of the proposed Kwara APC G15 Supporters’ Solidarity Rally eventually postponed the event, which was initially planned to welcome APC leaders returning from Abuja after weeks of consultations aimed at resolving the lingering crisis within the state chapter of the party.

According to the organisers, the rally was intended to identify with “leaders who have continued to stand for the survival of our party and the protection of its founding progressive ideals of fairness, inclusion, internal democracy, justice and collective leadership.”

Meanwhile, Governor AbdulRazaq’s supporters held a hitch-free thanksgiving road walk in Ilorin, describing it as a celebration of the peaceful conduct of the party’s primary elections and a reaffirmation of the APC’s determination to secure victory in the 2027 general elections.

The Kwara State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Alhaji Abdulateef Alakawa, said the rally was organised to appreciate God and the APC leadership for what he described as “a transparent and successful primary election process.”
According to him, the emergence of candidates through the direct primary system reflected the wishes of party members and reinforced internal democracy.

“The rally is our way of thanking God for the peaceful and successful primaries. Power belongs to the people, and the people have spoken through the direct primary elections. We are grateful that candidates emerged across the various positions without crisis,” Alakawa said.
“In every democratic process, there will be winners and others who may not emerge. As far as the APC is concerned, we have no losers,” he added.

However, the G15 supporters, who shifted their rally to a later date yet to be announced, accused Governor AbdulRazaq’s camp of deliberately organising a counter-rally on the same day and along the same route.

The group condemned the move, describing it as “petty, unfortunate and reckless.”

In a statement signed by the aggrieved G15 leaders, the group said: “At a time when the state and the party require calm, restraint and genuine reconciliation, organising a parallel rally on the same day serves no purpose other than heightening political tension and creating avoidable anarchy.

“We ask a simple question: Why organise a counter-rally on the very day another peaceful gathering had already been scheduled and duly communicated to the relevant security agencies?”

The group said that, following consultations with party leaders, stakeholders and security agencies, it resolved to postpone the solidarity rally, stressing that the decision should not be mistaken for weakness.

“This is a demonstration of responsible leadership and our commitment to peace, public order and the overall interest of Kwara State,” the statement said.

It added that its struggle was not about personalities but about “restoring the APC to its core values of justice, inclusion, internal democracy and respect for every member.”

The group assured supporters that the rally would be rescheduled at an appropriate time and urged members to remain peaceful and law-abiding.

The statement was signed by Alhaji Abdulwaheed Piri, Engr. Ajani Olanrewaju, Mr AbdulBaqi Oluwatoyin Kamaldeen, Prince Adesoye Nurudeen, Barr. Ladi Mustapha, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Dele Belgore (SAN), Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa and Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, among others.

At the thanksgiving rally, the APC candidate for Kwara North Senatorial District, Dr Ahmad Muhammad, thanked party members for their confidence in him and commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq for their leadership.

Similarly, the APC candidate for Kwara South Senatorial District, Mr Olalekan Adewoye, expressed appreciation to the party leadership for entrusting him with the senatorial ticket.

He described the APC as one united family and maintained that the outcome of the primaries reflected the collective decision of party members.

Also speaking, the Majority Leader of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Barrister Oba Magaji Abdulkadri, said the large turnout at the rally reflected the unity and growing strength of the APC in the state.
“We are very happy. As you can see, everyone is in a joyous mood,” he said.