Kwara APC crisis deepens as government supporters storm Abuja party headquarters on Monday

The crisis within the ruling Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified as Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s faction entered the party’s national headquarters in Abuja on Monday to confront the national leadership over the dispute surrounding the selection of Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu as the party’s 2027 gubernatorial candidate.

According to DAILY POST, the governor’s move follows a formal petition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by ten gubernatorial aspirants who opposed the recent primary that produced Engr. Yakubu Danladi Salihu.

Earlier, members of the state’s elders’ caucus, led by Chief James Bamisaiye, and several aspirants had rejected Salihu’s emergence in Abuja, claiming he was appointed by Governor AbdulRazaq and urging the national leadership to intervene.

Prince Sunday Fagbemi, the state party chairman, is heading the governor’s delegation alongside former PDP Secretary Razaq Lawal and Abdullateef Alakawa, Chairman of the Niger River Basin Development Authority, among others, according to sources.

Sources familiar with the latest developments say the high‑profile delegation is on a mission to present the governor’s position to key bodies within the ruling party.

One source involved in arranging the Abuja trip confirmed that the delegation will depart Ilorin on a chartered flight. The decision to use a private aircraft was made to keep the movement out of public view.

“We want to ensure that nobody knows who is travelling. So, we are leaving by 6 a.m. tomorrow, Monday, through a chartered flight,” the source said.

The governor’s group is expected to meet with the national chairman of the APC and members of the National Working Committee (NWC). They will also consult with the Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), in an effort to secure backing for the governor’s stance amid the unfolding political tensions within the state party.

While the governor’s supporters argue that the party remains united and capable of resolving its internal disputes, political analysts and critics view the recent developments as evidence of growing fissures within the APC’s structure in Kwara State.