Some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State on Saturday staged a protest at the private residence of the state chairman of the party, Sunday Fagbemi, over alleged attempts to alter the list of party executives affirmed during the recent congress.
The protesters, whose demonstration was captured in posts on social media, accused the party leadership of planning to replace the names of executives who were returned unopposed during the congress with preferred candidates.
The protesters argued that the congress was conducted in line with the directive of the party’s national leadership, which mandated that executives should emerge through affirmation.
According to one of the protesters, the process was conducted openly, and the existing executives were returned without opposition.
“We followed the directive of the national leadership that the congress should be done by affirmation. The existing executives were returned unopposed and everything was done openly,” the protester said.
“But what we are seeing now is an attempt to doctor the list and replace the names of those who were affirmed. That is why we have come to register our protest.”
The aggrieved members called on the national leadership of the APC to urgently intervene and ensure that the authentic list of executives affirmed during the congress is respected.
The demonstrators warned that any attempt to tamper with the results of the congress could deepen divisions within the party in the state.
They also expressed concerns that such actions might destabilise the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The protest follows earlier reports that the affirmation of party executives took place in Ilorin, the state capital, in the presence of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other prominent members of the party.
APC Chairman Dismisses Protesters
Reacting to the protest in a telephone conversation with journalists on Sunday, the APC chairman in the state, Fagbemi, dismissed the aggrieved members as “ignorant” and described their claims as speculative.
“Everything they are doing is speculative, and they are being instigated by some unguarded people that one shouldn’t bother about. They have just come to trespass on my property,” he told Daily Trust.
Fagbemi also noted that no official announcement had been made regarding any changes to the list of executives.
The party chairman further advised those with grievances to channel their complaints through appropriate party structures instead of staging protests at his residence.
He urged members of the party to remain law-abiding and avoid being influenced by rumours.
“I just want everybody to be law-abiding. We can see that this might be a scenario of the Hands of Esau and Voice of Jacob. Some people are trying to penetrate us, and they should not be allowed to misuse them,” he said.
