APC shifts Kwara governorship primary to Friday after tension and disruption at party secretariat in Ilorin
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed its governorship primary election in Kwara State following tension and disruption at the party’s secretariat in Ilorin on Thursday.
“The Governorship Primary Election earlier scheduled for today, Thursday, 21st May 2026, has been rescheduled to Friday, 22nd May,” the statement said.
The party urged members and aspirants to remain peaceful and law-abiding ahead of the rescheduled exercise.
The postponement came hours after suspected political thugs reportedly besieged the APC secretariat in Ilorin during the accreditation and coordination process for the exercise.
Witnesses told Sahara Reporters that the crowd, believed to be loyal to APC governorship aspirant Abdulfatai Seriki-Gambari, blocked parts of the secretariat while chanting slogans in support of their preferred candidate.
Videos circulating online showed groups of young men chanting in Yoruba, “No Seriki-Gambari, no vote,” as tension mounted around the venue.
The situation reportedly caused panic among delegates and party officials.
Sources familiar with the exercise said Musiliu Obanikoro, appointed by the APC leadership to supervise the Kwara governorship primary, was briefly unable to leave the premises as security operatives struggled to restore order.
Security personnel from the police and the State Security Service were later deployed to the area.
The incident is the latest development in the growing crisis surrounding the APC governorship succession process in Kwara State.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that political tension intensified after Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq endorsed Mr Seriki-Gambari as his preferred successor ahead of the governorship primary.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 19 May, and personally signed by the governor, Mr AbdulRazaq described the aspirant as “young, pro-people, astute, and broad-minded,” urging party leaders and members to support his candidacy for party cohesion and continuity.
The endorsement followed disagreement within the state chapter of the APC over succession plans ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Earlier reports indicated that at least 16 aspirants purchased nomination forms to contest the APC governorship ticket, with several party stakeholders expressing concerns over attempts to impose a consensus candidate.
On 15 May, PREMIUM TIMES reported that most of the governorship aspirants boycotted a strategic meeting convened by Governor AbdulRazaq in Ilorin amid suspicion that the gathering was aimed at securing endorsement for a preferred aspirant.
Only one aspirant, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), reportedly attended the meeting.
Multiple party sources who spoke with The PUNCH had alleged that disagreements persisted among APC leaders over zoning arrangements and the governor’s succession plans.
The crisis further deepened after the APC screening committee cleared only 53 out of 158 aspirants seeking tickets for the Kwara State House of Assembly election, leaving 105 aspirants disqualified and triggering fresh complaints within the party.
Party insiders said the governorship primary has become a major test for the APC in Kwara as it prepares for the 2027 elections amid renewed political mobilisation by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
