A fresh political storm is brewing within the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress following protests in Irepodun Local Government Area over allegations of manipulation and imposition of party executives.
Aggrieved party members staged a protest on Sunday at the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat, accusing the state leadership of altering ward and local government executive lists in violation of directives issued by the party’s national leadership.
The protesters alleged that the Kwara APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Adeniran Fagbemi, in collaboration with the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Engr. Saliu Yakubu Danladi, had replaced some ward and local government executives perceived to be politically unsympathetic to the Speaker’s alleged governorship ambition.
According to sources within the party, the development contradicts a directive from the national leadership of the APC which had reportedly instructed state chapters to affirm existing party executives across all blocs to maintain unity and avoid factional disputes.
Although the affirmation process conducted last Tuesday returned Fagbemi as the state party chairman, insiders claim that seven out of the sixteen local government executive lists have thus far been altered, sparking outrage among grassroots members.
However, party stakeholders insist that the number of changes could have been far higher if not for the earlier protest staged by members in Asa Local Government Area.
During that protest, angry party members reportedly gathered at the Ilorin residence of the state chairman chanting “Ole” in condemnation of what they described as injustice and manipulation of the party structure.
Sources within the party said the protest forced the leadership to halt further alterations and subsequently led to sanctions against the APC Chairman in Asa Local Government and other individuals allegedly involved in the demonstration.
The controversy has now spread to Irepodun Local Government, where party members claim the affirmed incumbent chairman was removed and replaced with a political returnee who had left the APC in 2023 to contest under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) but has yet to formally rejoin the ruling party.
Some stakeholders also alleged that certain political actors in the state are playing influential roles in the dispute. Among those mentioned are Chief Raheem Adedoyin and Chief Thomas Adewumi, the founder of Thomas Adewumi University, Oko.
Party insiders claim Adewumi influenced changes to the executive list of Oko Ward, his home ward, though the allegation has not been independently verified.
Amid the rising tension, respected community leaders and party elders reportedly intervened to prevent the protest in Irepodun from escalating, persuading aggrieved members to restrict their demonstration to the local government secretariat while efforts are made to address the grievances.
However, many stakeholders warn that the situation reflects a deeper crisis within the party structure in Kwara State.
According to them, the perceived indifferent posture of the state government is being leveraged by some political actors to pursue what they described as an “unholy mission” to capture the party structure ahead of the 2027 political cycle.
Some party members believe the silence of the state leadership has emboldened certain individuals to manipulate internal party processes without fear of consequences.
Political observers within the party warn that if the grievances are not urgently addressed, the crisis could significantly weaken the APC’s grassroots structure and threaten its electoral prospects in the 2027 general elections.
They argue that internal divisions, imposition of candidates, and disregard for party consensus could alienate loyal members and create openings for opposition parties to exploit.
Some stakeholders also recalled that similar political complacency and internal discontent contributed to the collapse of the Saraki political structure in Kwara State during the 2019 elections, cautioning that the APC must avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Concerned party members have therefore called on Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC to urgently intervene and restore confidence among party members in the state.
They warned that failure to address the grievances promptly could deepen factional divisions and ultimately undermine the unity required for the party to retain its dominance in Kwara politics beyond 2027.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kwara APC leadership had yet to issue an official response to the allegations.
