APC Crisis Deepens In Kwara Amid Sacking Of Council Officials, Arrest Of Party Members
APC Crisis Deepens In Kwara Amid Sacking Of Council Officials, Arrest Of Party Members
There is also growing allegation that party executive lists were manipulated during the recently concluded ward and local government congresses.
Adeepening leadership crisis within Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a dramatic turn in Kwara State, with arrests of party members and sackings of local government officials.
There is also growing allegation that party executive lists were manipulated during the recently concluded ward and local government congresses.
The crisis, which has triggered protests and heightened political tension within the party structure in the state, is now drawing wider concern among party stakeholders who say similar disputes are beginning to surface in Edo State as the APC’s nationwide congress process unfolds.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that more than 50 members of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State faced arrest after Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq reportedly ordered security agencies to clamp down on party members protesting the alleged manipulation of results from the recently concluded ward and local government congresses.
Party insiders warn that the controversy surrounding the alteration of ward and local government executive lists — first reported in several local governments across Kwara — may represent a broader internal challenge within the ruling party.
The dispute intensified following a protest staged by aggrieved APC members in Asa Local Government Area last week Saturday.
The demonstrators gathered at the residence of the Kwara APC chairman, Prince Sunday Adeniran Fagbemi, chanting “Fagbemi Ole,” a Yoruba phrase meaning “Fagbemi is a thief,” as they accused the party leadership of manipulating congress results and imposing executives.
Sources within the party said the protesters alleged that the authentic outcomes of the ward and local government congresses had been altered to favour a particular faction within the party.
“The protest was a direct reaction to what members described as a brazen manipulation of the executive lists,” a party source familiar with the development told journalists.
Following the protest, tensions escalated further as security operatives moved in to arrest several party members linked to the demonstration.
Sources confirmed that the APC chairman in Asa Local Government, along with some supervising councillors, were arrested by the police and are currently being held in custody.
The arrests came amid earlier reports that more than 50 APC members in Kwara could face detention after the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, allegedly directed security agencies to clamp down on individuals protesting the outcome of the congresses.
According to party insiders, the crackdown has heightened anxiety among grassroots members who fear that dissent within the party structure may attract punitive measures.
A source familiar with security discussions surrounding the crisis revealed that the situation formed part of deliberations during the recent working and familiarisation visit of the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to Kwara State.
The police chief, who previously served within the presidential security structure and is widely perceived in political circles as a loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, reportedly advised a cautious approach in handling the arrested party members.
According to the source, the police hierarchy recommended that the detained individuals should not immediately be charged to court.
“The suggestion was that those arrested should remain in custody until the national congress process of the party is concluded,” the source said.
The strategy, the source explained, was designed to prevent further protests and reduce the likelihood of escalating political demonstrations across the state.
Amid the rising tension, sources within the party also alleged that local government council chairmen across Kwara State have been warned against allowing protests to take place within their jurisdictions.
The warning reportedly included threats that any council chairman who permits demonstrations connected to the party crisis could risk losing his position.
Party insiders described the move as part of broader efforts to contain the internal unrest currently spreading across several APC structures in the state.
In another development that has further intensified the controversy, the Executive Chairman of Asa Local Government Area, Shehu Yahaya Amasa, announced the immediate removal of five council officials from their positions.
Those affected include: Abdulrasaq Olarewaju Jimoh, Supervisor for Works, Land and Housing, Abdulraheem Muhammed Elere, Supervisor for Health and Medical Services, Muhammed Nuhu, Special Adviser on Education, Yusuf Tope Mahmud, Special Adviser on Special Duties and Muritala Sodiq Tiro, Special Adviser on Youths.
In a statement announcing the decision, the council chairman said the officials were dismissed for “bringing the name of the local government council to disrepute.”
However, sources within the council and party structure explained that the affected officials were allegedly among those who participated in the earlier protest at the residence of the state APC chairman.
According to insiders, the officials were seen among demonstrators chanting “Fagbemi Ole” during the protest, an action that reportedly angered the party leadership and triggered disciplinary measures.
Meanwhile, several APC stakeholders insist that the dispute may be far larger than initially reported.
Multiple party sources claimed that executive lists in virtually all wards and local government areas across Kwara State may have been altered.
The allegation contradicts an earlier directive from party leaders that existing ward and local government executives should simply be affirmed during the congress process in order to maintain unity within the party.
“The understanding was that the current executives would be affirmed to avoid unnecessary conflict,” one stakeholder said.
“But what members are now seeing are lists that many people say do not reflect what happened during the congresses.”
Members of the party say the unfolding crisis could deepen factional divisions within the ruling party in Kwara if urgent steps are not taken to address the grievances of aggrieved members.
Stakeholders within the party are therefore calling for intervention from the national leadership of the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to restore internal stability.
Adding to the concern among party leaders is the emergence of similar complaints from party members in Edo State, where insiders say disputes over congress outcomes and executive lists are beginning to mirror the controversy currently unfolding in Kwara.
Party stakeholders fear that if the situation is not quickly resolved, the crisis could spread further across other states where the congress process is ongoing.
As of the time this report was filed, neither the Kwara State leadership of the All Progressives Congress nor the state government had issued an official response to the arrests, the sackings, or the allegations of manipulation surrounding the congress results.
