A coalition of governorship aspirants and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State on Monday staged a solidarity rally in Ilorin to protest what they described as exclusionary leadership in the party.
The protesters, operating under the platform of Kwara APC G15, also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the affairs of the state chapter.
The rally came a day after the party’s candidates held a thank-you rally across Ilorin to appreciate residents and President Tinubu for their support.
The coalition declared what it called the relaunch of the Otoge movement, saying the ideals that ended the dominance of the Saraki political dynasty in 2019 had been abandoned under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The group comprises 10 APC governorship aspirants, the state’s three serving senators, members of the National Assembly, state lawmakers, elders, youth and women leaders, among others.
Thousands of supporters marched through major parts of Ilorin before converging on the Post Office area.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Kwara APC is in danger,” “We reject Ramoni’s leadership,” “Ramoni is not bigger than the APC,” “Kwara rejects another godfather,” and “APC is not Ramoni’s private estate.”
Addressing journalists, the senator representing Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha, said the rally reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the leadership of the party in the state.
“It has been a spontaneous rally featuring key stakeholders who are card-carrying members of the APC protesting for one single reason.
“We are not very happy with the kind of leadership that has bedevilled us in the state in recent times in terms of party structure,” Mustapha said.
He said the coalition was rejecting the alleged endorsement of a preferred governorship candidate without proper consultation.
“We are protesting with this march so as to register our rejection of whatever processes and the way and manner the so-called leadership of the state has endorsed a particular candidate.
“We are not saying that we don’t like anybody. What we are saying is that the process and the manner in which it was arrived at is unacceptable,” he added.
Coalition Demands Inclusion
In a joint statement, the coalition said it had concluded consultations in Abuja with senior APC stakeholders and national leaders over the crisis in Kwara.
“We have come to the firm conclusion that we owe it to our supporters, to the people of Kwara State, and to generations yet unborn to subordinate our individual political aspirations to one collective ambition: the rescue of our party and the rescue of Kwara State,” the statement read.
The group said the Otoge movement was built on inclusion, justice, accountability and opposition to political domination.
“Sadly, this is not the Kwara State we all bargained for. This is not the Kwara State we promised our people during the Otoge Revolution,” it stated.
It urged Tinubu and the APC National Working Committee to ensure a transparent succession process that reflects the wishes of the majority.
“Democracy derives its legitimacy from the consent of the majority, not from the preferences of a select few,” the coalition said.
‘We Must Rescue Our Party’
Former Kwara APC Chairman and governorship aspirant, Bashir Bolarinwa, said the grievances centred on the conduct of the primaries and exclusion of key stakeholders.
“What we are saying is that there should be inclusiveness and there should be a situation where every stakeholder is carried along,” Bolarinwa said.
He said several leaders who worked for the APC’s victory in 2019 had been sidelined.
“That is why all of us have come together to say that we have to rescue our party,” he added.
Bolarinwa appealed to Tinubu and the APC national leadership to intervene.
“We are here because we want to protect the legacy of President Bola Tinubu. We are facing a situation that, if we are not careful, there could be a midnight coup in the APC in Kwara State, and that is what we are trying to prevent,” he said.
APC Presents Candidates To Emir
Meanwhile, the Kwara APC leadership on Monday presented its 2027 candidates to the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, for royal blessings.
The delegation was led by the state chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi. The Emir praised Governor AbdulRazaq’s performance and prayed for the party’s success.
“The governor has performed well… God will grant you all electoral success,” he said.
Fagbemi said the candidates emerged through primaries conducted by the national secretariat in line with party guidelines.
The APC governorship candidate, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, described democracy as “an aggregation of interests” and assured that the party’s reconciliation committee would carry all stakeholders along.
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