The governorship contest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has taken a new turn as 16 aspirants reportedly boycotted a consensus meeting convened by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, heightening uncertainty ahead of the party’s primaries.

The meeting, scheduled for Thursday at the Banquet Hall in Ilorin, was intended as a strategic engagement ahead of the governorship primary. However, only one aspirant, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mohammed Dele Belgore, was present, forcing the session to be postponed.

According to multiple aspirants, the absence was a deliberate protest over fears that the meeting was designed to impose a preferred candidate on the party.

“We suspected it was a setup for endorsement,” one of the aspirants said, adding that the late notice and alleged mobilisation of local government delegates heightened suspicion.

Another aspirant said the timing of the invitation made participation difficult, while others alleged that parallel consultations had already narrowed discussions around a “predetermined candidate.”

The APC has 16 aspirants in the Kwara governorship race, including Senator Saliu Mustapha; Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman; former APC chairman Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa; Yahaya Seriki; Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe; Yakubu Danladi Salihu; and Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), among others.

Party insiders say the contest has exposed deep divisions over zoning, influence and succession strategy, with competing interests pushing different candidates across Kwara North, Central and South.

A source familiar with the consultations claimed that stakeholders initially pushed for different consensus options, including Speaker Danladi Salihu, Bolarinwa, Mustapha, and later Yahaya Seriki, but none of the alignments held.

“The governor has preferences, but there is no agreement within the broader party structure,” the source said.

The development has reportedly raised concern within the national leadership of the APC, with party officials warning that prolonged disagreement could weaken the party’s chances ahead of 2027.

A national secretariat source said governors are expected to manage consensus-building or proceed to direct primaries where necessary, noting that the party may ultimately prioritise “electability over internal preference.”

The situation has also triggered political reactions in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where stakeholders say the internal APC crisis could reshape the 2027 electoral landscape in Kwara State.

Some PDP figures described the development as a sign of “growing disunity” within the ruling party, while APC aspirants insist consultations are still ongoing and no final decision has been reached.

As the primaries approach, attention is now focused on whether the Kwara APC will settle on a consensus candidate or proceed to a highly competitive contest involving all 16 aspirants.