Kwara APC crisis deepens as Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s allies meet party leaders in Abuja over opposition to Yakubu Danladi Salihu’s candidacy

The Kwara APC Crisis took a fresh turn on Monday as allies of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq travelled to Abuja to meet the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid growing opposition to the emergence of Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

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The high-level delegation, led by Kwara APC Chairman Prince Sunday Fagbemi, is expected to engage members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and other influential stakeholders in a bid to defend the governor’s position and contain escalating tensions within the ruling party.

The latest move follows a petition submitted to President Bola Tinubu by 10 APC governorship aspirants who challenged the primary election that produced Salihu as the party’s flagbearer. The aspirants alleged irregularities in the process and called for intervention from the party’s national leadership.

Among the signatories to the petition were prominent APC figures including Yahaya Seriki Gambari, Senator Saliu Mustapha, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, Dele Belgore and Bashir Bolarinwa, all of whom expressed concerns over the direction of the party in Kwara State.

The dispute has exposed what many observers describe as one of the most significant internal challenges facing the APC in the state since the party came to power through the 2019 “O To Ge” political movement that ended decades of dominance by the Saraki political structure.

Members of the party’s elders’ caucus, led by Chief James Bamisaiye, had earlier rejected Salihu’s emergence, alleging that the process was influenced by Governor AbdulRazaq. The group urged the national leadership of the APC to review the outcome and take steps to preserve unity within the party.

Sources familiar with Monday’s Abuja meeting said the governor’s camp concluded arrangements to travel aboard a chartered aircraft from Ilorin, a move reportedly aimed at keeping details of the trip away from public attention.

“We want to ensure that nobody knows who is travelling. So, we are leaving by 6 a.m. tomorrow, Monday, through a chartered flight,” a source involved in the arrangements said.

Apart from meeting the APC national chairman and members of the NWC, the delegation is also expected to consult with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), as efforts intensify to build support for the governor’s position.

Supporters of AbdulRazaq maintain that the APC remains strong and capable of resolving its internal disagreements through dialogue. They argue that consultations with the national leadership will help reinforce party cohesion ahead of preparations for the 2027 elections.

However, critics and political analysts view the developments as evidence of widening divisions within the state chapter of the ruling party.

The public disagreement between influential stakeholders and the governor’s camp has fuelled speculation about possible defections or the emergence of alternative political alignments if reconciliation efforts fail.

The unfolding dispute is particularly significant because Kwara has been regarded as one of the APC’s strategic strongholds in the North Central region since the 2019 elections. Any prolonged internal conflict could have implications for the party’s electoral prospects in future contests.

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As consultations continue in Abuja, party members and political observers will be watching closely to see whether the intervention of the APC national leadership can ease tensions and prevent the Kwara APC Crisis from developing into a broader challenge ahead of the 2027 general elections.