The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has named retired Col. Ademola Lawal to head a five-member reconciliation committee, in a bid to contain widening cracks in the party after fierce internal opposition to the emergence of Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu as its governorship standard-bearer for 2027.
Other members of the panel are ACG Ahmed Abbas, Engr. Musa Yeketi, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwatoyin Opawoye and Hajia Kubura Kassum.
State APC chairman Prince Sunday Fagbemi said the committee would engage aggrieved blocs across the party and recommend ways to restore cohesion ahead of the next general election.
“This committee shall have the mandate to engage all stakeholders on areas of differences and make recommendations on how to bring everyone on the same page as we prepare for the general elections,” Fagbemi said.
The move comes as the ruling party battles lingering fallout from the succession fight around Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s backing of Danladi-Salihu, a development that has triggered resistance from elders and some aspirants.
Also Read: APC defends Kwara governorship primary, disowns ‘Elders’ Caucus’
A caucus of APC elders had openly rejected Danladi-Salihu’s emergence, warning that the party risks losing Kwara in 2027 if it ignores growing discontent over his candidature. The group also accused AbdulRazaq of failing to give President Bola Tinubu and the party’s national leadership an honest reading of the political mood in the state. Source
The elders said their intervention was not personal, but rooted in concerns over Danladi-Salihu’s ability to unite the party and command broad-based support. They also questioned the process that produced him, alleging that key stakeholders were shut out of critical decisions. Source
The crisis was sharpened by reports that AbdulRazaq switched support from businessman Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki-Gambari to Danladi-Salihu shortly before the governorship primary, a reversal that deepened suspicion within the party. Premium Times reported that some aspirants had boycotted a strategic meeting amid fears that a consensus candidate was being imposed. Source
The dispute has since spilled beyond Ilorin. The10 governorship aspirants had petitioned President Tinubu over the primary, while AbdulRazaq’s camp moved to the APC national headquarters in Abuja to defend the outcome.
Although APC loyalists insist the party remains intact and that Danladi-Salihu emerged through a valid process, the creation of a reconciliation panel points to a deeper reality: the Kwara APC is still struggling to paper over a bruising internal fight that could shape its 2027 prospects.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved aspirants have planned a grand rally for Sunday in Ilorin. A notice on a verified WhatsApp group this morning reads:
“This is to notify our teeming supporters that there will be a joint rally by the 10 Governorship Aspirants, Senators and House of Representative members who have come together to lend their voices to the injustices going on in the All Progressives Congress in Kwara state.
“The rally will be held on Sunday, 5th July, 2026. The point of convergence will be communicated in due course.”
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