Kwara APC screens aspirants as the party begins verification for 158 House of Assembly hopefuls ahead of state elections

The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Monday commenced the screening of 158 aspirants seeking to contest the 24 seats in the Kwara State House of Assembly, with party leaders promising a transparent and credible process.

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The exercise took place in Ilorin, where members of the screening committee and party officials emphasised the need for proper verification to avoid legal and qualification issues capable of undermining the party’s electoral success.

Chairman of the screening committee, Success Musa, described the large number of aspirants as evidence of the APC’s growing popularity and internal democracy in Kwara State.

“I learnt we have 158 aspirants for the House of Assembly alone. That is democracy. That is what APC represents,” Musa said while addressing aspirants before the commencement of the exercise.

Success Musa stated that the committee was selected based on credibility and competence to ensure a seamless and fair process for all aspirants.

The committee chairman warned against errors that could threaten the party’s mandate, recalling the Supreme Court judgment that cost the APC victory in Bayelsa State after qualification issues emerged against the governor-elect.

“We will screen all of you because we don’t want what happened in Bayelsa State to happen to any of you,” he said.

Success Musa also urged aspirants to remain peaceful and cooperate fully with officials throughout the process, stressing that complaints should be directed to the appeal committee established by the party.

“All of you cannot be our candidates at the same time. APC is a very large family. Let’s keep peace,” he added.

Kwara APC Chairman Sunday Fagbemi said the screening exercise was designed to ensure that all aspirants met constitutional and party requirements ahead of the elections.

Sunday Fagbemi noted that the party was determined to avoid documentation errors capable of affecting its performance at the polls.

“The responsibility now lies with the party to properly screen and prepare aspirants for the election,” he said.

The party chairman added that an appeal committee would begin sitting immediately after the screening to address grievances raised by aspirants.

According to him, the APC remains committed to fairness, transparency and due process in its internal activities.

“It is not enough for justice to be done; it must also be seen to be done,” Sunday Fagbemi stated.

An aspirant and leader of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Magaji Oba Abdulkadir, commended the committee for conducting what he described as an orderly and seamless screening exercise.

Another aspirant, AbdulRasheed Akogun, praised the openness of the process, saying party members were given equal opportunity to participate.

Female aspirant Fatimah Jiyah said women accounted for about 30 per cent of the aspirants contesting for House of Assembly seats.

Fatimah Jiyah attributed the increased participation of women to the gender inclusion policies introduced under the administration of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

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The development highlights growing political activity within the APC in Kwara State as parties intensify preparations ahead of the next electoral cycle.