ILORIN — Fresh confusion has engulfed the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the party’s leadership abruptly halted its ongoing governorship primary election on Thursday afternoon.

The postponement was announced mid-stream, catching thousands of party faithful by surprise as active voting and grassroots mobilization efforts were already heavily underway across various wards. The disruption comes amid a delicate political atmosphere in the state chapter, unfolding just 24 hours after the party reversed its decision regarding the mass disqualification of over 100 House of Assembly aspirants.

The Screening Backlash and Reinstatement

The internal friction originally boiled over on Wednesday when an APC screening committee sparked outrage by declaring between 105 and 113 legislative aspirants “uncleared” to contest, leaving only about 50 candidates approved for the ballot.

The controversial clean sweep heavily impacted several serving lawmakers. The move triggered widespread anxiety within the ranks, with multiple caucuses alleging an attempt by state executives to impose preferred candidates and clear the field for anointed loyalists.

Faced with a brewing rebellion and intense pressure from stakeholders, the party leadership reversed its decision late Wednesday night. A fresh list was released clearing all 159 original aspirants to participate—including the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, whose name had been conspicuously omitted from the initial cleared register.

Mixed Signals from the State Secretariat

The administrative friction was laid bare on Thursday morning through conflicting communications emerging from the party’s publicity arm.

Early in the day, the APC State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Olawale Babatunde, dismissed rumors of an impending delay during a telephone interview, insisting that monitoring teams were already deploying to the fields.

“As I speak with you, I am going to the wards for the monitoring of the governorship primaries today,” Babatunde stated. “As far as the party is concerned, nobody has stepped down for anyone and the 16 aspirants are going into the contest.”

However, by Thursday afternoon, Babatunde was forced to issue an official counter-statement confirming that the primary had been officially rescheduled to Friday, May 22, 2026.

Confirming the last-minute freeze, the Kwara APC State Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, revealed that the order did not originate locally but was a direct mandate handed down by the party's national working committee.

“We don’t have details of the cancellation other than the fact that the team from the national office came and instructed that the election will be held tomorrow,” Fagbemi disclosed.

Mid-Stream Voting and Demands for INEC Oversight

The postponement left thousands of voters stranded in long queues, particularly within the political strongholds of incumbent Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

At Adewole Ward in Ilorin, the Governor's immediate political base, large crowds had gathered early in a definitive show of force for the administration's legacy structure. The APC ward chairman, Mallam Suleiman Nuhu Amunutuka, praised the orderly conduct of the local crowd, while local游 chieftain Comrade Wahab Abdulmajeed Temidire claimed that over 7,000 members had successfully queued up to declare their preferences before the formal cancellation notice filtered down.

The late-day stoppage has also amplified calls for strict independent monitoring. Rival camps, particularly those allied with prominent contenders like Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa and Senator Saliu Mustapha, raised serious concerns over the delayed arrival or outright absence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observers at several key collation centers.

“The only issue we have with this election is that we can only be pleased if we see INEC officials,” warned Dr. Saheed Bolakale Olugbon, speaking on behalf of the Bolarinwa campaign.

Similarly, Shehu Afunja, representing the Senator Mustapha faction, cautioned that an unmonitored process creates room for the backroom manipulation of figures. In response, Paula Iwenjuora, the leader of the local INEC monitoring unit, clarified that the commission's role remains strictly observational to guarantee peace and order, rather than direct interference in the internal processes of individual political parties.

With the primary officially shifted to Friday, the state capital remains tense as competing factions debate whether the party will allow an open, direct competitive primary to proceed or utilize the overnight window to pressure aspirants into a managed consensus arrangement behind the governor's preferred successor, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki.

An abrupt order from the national secretariat catches ward mobilizers by surprise, following a quick reversal on the mass disqualification of 100 legislative aspirants.