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By Ayo Kehinde
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has postponed its governorship primary elections scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026, amid growing political tension surrounding the party’s succession battle ahead of the 2027 governorship elections.
The postponement was announced in an official notice issued by the party’s publicity secretary in Kwara State, Abdulwaheed Babatunde.
According to the statement, the governorship primary will now be held on Friday, May 22, 2026.
While the party has not officially stated the reasons for the sudden postponement, the development comes at a critical period of intense consultations, internal alignments and growing disagreements among aspirants and stakeholders over the emergence of the APC governorship candidate.
Before the postponement was announced, party faithful had already gathered in several districts and local government areas across the state in anticipation of the exercise.
The APC governorship contest in Kwara has attracted intense political interest, with 16 aspirants vying for the party seat ahead of the 2027 elections.
Aspirants include Senator Saliu Mustapha, Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, Mallam Yahaya Abdulfatai Seriki, Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), Olufemi Sanni, Mohammed Omar Bio, Dr Alabi Oluwatoyin Tajudeen, Hon. Yakubu Danladi Salihu, Tajudeen Audu AbdulKadir, Dr Azeez Salako Muyideen, Ibrahim Mahmoud, Yetunde Musiliat Bello, Mahalia Aishatu Ahman-Pategi and Professor Olawale Adeniyi Suleiman
The primary elections have become increasingly contentious following Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s endorsement of businessman and party chief Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahya-Seriki as his preferred aspirant and political successor.
The governor’s approval, announced earlier this week, follows a worsening succession crisis within the ruling party.
AbdulRazaq had described Yahya-Seriki as “young, pro-people, astute and open-minded”, urging party members and stakeholders to support his emergence in the interest of unity and continuity.
However, the endorsement has generated mixed reactions within the APC, with some aspirants and stakeholders expressing concern over alleged attempts to impose a preferred candidate on the party.
The crisis intensified after most aspirants reportedly boycotted a strategic meeting of stakeholders convened in Ilorin over fears that the meeting was designed to facilitate a consensus deal in favor of the governor’s preferred aspirant.
Sources within the party say the disagreement has widened fissures within the APC, especially as different political blocs continue consultations ahead of the rescheduled primaries.
The postponement may not be unrelated to ongoing efforts by party leaders to manage internal tensions and prevent a major split that could weaken the APC ahead of the 2027 governorship elections.
Meanwhile, security presence was observed in some parts of Ilorin and other strategic locations across the state as party officials and aspirants intensified last-minute consultations ahead of Friday’s exercise.
Despite the growing tension, APC leaders in the state have continued to express confidence that the party will conduct peaceful and credible governorship primaries capable of producing a strong candidate for the 2027 elections.
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