Kwara APC senators seek review of primaries, call for reconciliation

Fresh divisions have emerged within the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the state’s three senators called for a review of the party’s recent primary elections and the establishment of a reconciliation committee.

 

In a communiqué issued after a joint meeting on Tuesday, Senators Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central), Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (Kwara South) and Sadiq Umar (Kwara North) expressed concern over what they described as growing disunity and dissatisfaction within the party.

 

The lawmakers said the recent governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly primaries generated avoidable controversy, alleging that legitimate stakeholders were excluded from key decision-making processes.

 

They also questioned the screening exercise that reportedly disqualified about 70 per cent of serving members of the Kwara State House of Assembly, describing the outcome as inconsistent with the principles of fairness and merit.

 

The senators urged the state APC leadership and the party’s National Working Committee to immediately set up a high-level reconciliation committee with a 30-day mandate to address grievances and reunite aggrieved members.

 

They further called for a review of the screening and primary outcomes affecting experienced lawmakers and other aspirants.

 

Beyond internal party issues, the lawmakers raised concerns over worsening insecurity in parts of the state, warning that banditry and kidnappings were threatening farming activities and contributing to rising food prices.

 

They also recommended a comprehensive review of the party’s structures across Kwara’s 193 wards and 16 local government areas to strengthen grassroots mobilisation ahead of future elections.

 

The intervention comes amid an ongoing crisis within the Kwara APC following the party’s primaries, including disputes over legislative screenings and the emergence of Yakubu Danladi-Salihu as the party’s governorship candidate, a result rejected by several aspirants and party stakeholders.