APC Youths Protest Imposed Candidate in Kwara Primaries

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Thousands of youths who say they belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State staged a protest against what they called the imposition of a candidate in the party’s recently concluded National Assembly primary election.

The demonstrators, who held a peaceful rally at the APC state secretariat in Ilorin over the weekend, called on the party’s national leadership to support them so the APC could secure a decisive victory in the 2027 general election in the state.

Speaking to journalists in Ilorin, AbdulGafar Alawode, the APC youth coordinator for the Kwara South senatorial district and leader of the protest, said the youths only wanted a free, fair and transparent electoral process.

“Party members should be allowed to elect their representatives through credible primaries rather than imposition,” Alawode said. “We witnessed the imposition of a candidate on Saturday.”

He explained that the candidate ultimately announced to contest the Ifelodun/Oyun/Offa federal constituency seat was forced upon them. “I couldn’t believe when I started hearing the counting from 1‑14 then jumped to 25, 26, 38, 62. What a mockery of the institution called democracy,” he added.

Alawode said they tried to contest the result yesterday (Saturday) but, fearing they would be labeled hoodlums, they chose instead to bring their grievances to the party secretariat. “Instead of being heard, we were brutalised,” he said.

He and other party members expect direct primaries where votes truly count, rather than imposition, and warned that the districts of Kwara South and Central would not accept the exercise’s outcome.

Alawode described the elections as “unacceptable and condemnable” and condemned the deployment of thugs to intimidate them during the peaceful protest. “Many of our members were attacked, and this is uncalled for. We have supported the APC to win elections in Kwara State and did not expect such an attack on us,” he said.

He urged the APC national leadership to intervene in the state to help ensure the party’s electoral success in 2027.