Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The crisis rocking the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) escalated dramatically on Monday, 6 July 2026, as a coalition of 10 governorship aspirants and other key stakeholders staged a massive solidarity rally in Ilorin, protesting what they described as Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's exclusionary leadership style and the alleged imposition of a preferred governorship candidate. The protesters, operating under the platform of the Kwara APC G15, also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the affairs of the state chapter to prevent the party from losing the 2027 general elections. The rally came just a day after supporters of the governor and his preferred candidates held a separate thank-you rally in the state capital, underscoring the deepening division within the party's ranks.
Thousands of party supporters participated in the procession, which moved through major parts of Ilorin before converging at the Post Office area, where the coalition addressed journalists and supporters. The protesters carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Kwara APC is in danger,” “We reject Ramoni's leadership,” “Ramoni is not bigger than the APC,” “Kwara rejects another godfather,” and “APC is not Ramoni's private estate.” The demonstration marked the public relaunch of the O To Ge movement, the political wave that ended the dominance of the Saraki political dynasty in Kwara State in 2019, which the coalition insists has been abandoned under Governor AbdulRazaq's administration.
Addressing journalists after the rally, Senator Saliu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District and is one of the frontline governorship aspirants, said the protest reflected widespread dissatisfaction among party stakeholders over the management of the APC in the state. "It has been a spontaneous rally featuring key stakeholders who are card-carrying members of the APC protesting for one single reason. We are not very happy with the kind of leadership that has bedevilled us in the state in recent times in terms of party structure," Mustapha said. He explained that the coalition was rejecting what it described as the endorsement of a preferred governorship candidate without adequate consultation among stakeholders. "We are protesting with this march so as to register our rejection of whatever processes and the way and manner the so-called leadership of the state has endorsed a particular candidate. What we are saying is that the process and the manner in which it was arrived at is unacceptable," he added.
The G15 coalition comprises the 10 leading APC governorship aspirants, the state's three serving senators, a majority of APC members in the National Assembly, members of the State House of Assembly, the party's Elders Caucus, youth and women leaders, and other stakeholders. Among those present at the rally were Dr Bashir Bolarinwa, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Senator Lola Ashiru, Umar Suleiman Sadiq, Chief Dele Belgore (SAN), Alhaji Tajudeen Audu, Omar Mohammed Bio, Dr Oluwatoyin Alabi, Dr Azeez Salako, Capt Ahmad Mahmud, Yinka Aluko, and Ismail Tijani, among others.
Senator Lola Ashiru, who is the Deputy Senate Leader, warned that the party risks losing the 2027 general elections in the state unless President Tinubu intervenes. "We are here because we want to protect the legacy of President Bola Tinubu. He has done so much for Kwara State. If we are not careful, there will be midnight for APC in Kwara State. That is what we are trying to prevent," Ashiru said. Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe accused the state leadership of sidelining key stakeholders in the decision-making process, saying party elders and critical stakeholders across the three senatorial districts were excluded from consultations leading to the primaries. "We want an inclusive party where every stakeholder has a sense of belonging. What we witnessed was imposition, and that is why we are asking the national leadership, especially President Tinubu, to intervene," he said.
In a joint statement issued after the rally, the coalition disclosed that it had recently concluded consultations in Abuja with senior APC leaders and other national stakeholders over the growing crisis in the Kwara chapter. The group lamented that governance and party administration in the state had become increasingly centralised, arguing that Kwara deserved a more inclusive leadership that accommodates divergent opinions. "Sadly, this is not the Kwara State we all bargained for. This is not the Kwara State we promised our people during the O To Ge Revolution," the statement read. "Democracy derives its legitimacy from the consent of the majority, not from the preferences of a select few."
The coalition presented a 10-point demand, including the rejection of what it described as flawed party primary processes, transparent and inclusive party administration, merit-based leadership succession, an end to political godfatherism, protection of dissenting voices, accountable governance, genuine reconciliation, and an urgent review of the state's security strategy. Former Kwara APC Chairman and governorship aspirant, Bashir Bolarinwa, said the grievances centred on the conduct of the primaries and the exclusion of key stakeholders. "What we are saying is that there should be inclusiveness and there should be a situation where every stakeholder is carried along. Several leaders who worked for the APC's victory in 2019 have been sidelined. That is why all of us have come together to say that we have to rescue our party," Bolarinwa said.
However, the governor's camp has dismissed the grievances, arguing that the party's primary process was transparent and inclusive. On the same day, the Kwara APC leadership presented the party's 2027 candidates to the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, for royal blessings. The delegation, led by the state APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, received the monarch's endorsement, with the Emir commending Governor AbdulRazaq's performance and praying for the electoral success of the governor and all APC candidates. The Emir's public endorsement of the governor's preferred candidates has further complicated the crisis, as the G15 coalition continues to insist on a more inclusive leadership process.
The deepening division in the Kwara APC has raised fears of avoidable clashes ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the party's major actors and their supporters appearing to have embraced confrontation rather than pursuing genuine reconciliation. The G15 coalition, which has declared that Governor AbdulRazaq no longer enjoys the support of the majority of stakeholders within the party, has vowed to sustain its agitation until its demands are met. As the crisis continues to unfold, all eyes are on President Tinubu and the APC National Working Committee to see whether they will intervene to resolve the impasse and restore unity to the party in Kwara State, where the APC has enjoyed significant electoral success since the O To Ge movement swept it to power in 2019.
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