ILORIN, Nigeria — The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday conducted ward congresses across the state’s 193 wards, with party officials saying the exercise produced ward-level executives through an affirmation process and was largely peaceful in the areas monitored by reporters. The congresses, overseen by the party’s Screening and Appeals Committee from the APC national secretariat, were described by officials as “carnival-like” in Ilorin and in parts of the state including Asa, Ekiti and Baruten.
Speaking at the APC secretariat in Ilorin, the state chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said the leadership emergence at the ward level was carried out by affirmation to reduce rancour and strengthen internal cohesion. “This is the ward congress of the party which takes place in all 193 wards in the state. So far so good, we have not heard any adverse reports. The idea behind affirmation is to make the exercise less rancorous,” he told reporters.
Fagbemi said the process amounted to “a change of batons,” adding that it was meant to solidify the party’s grassroots structure ahead of future contests, including the 2027 general election. Party leaders said participation was not automatic, insisting that aspirants and ward officials were vetted before affirmation. Alhaji Abdullahi Samari, chairman of the congress committee and APC deputy chairman in the state, said screening was a prerequisite for inclusion in the exercise. “You cannot go to any affirmation without being screened… all the candidates have been screened by the party,” he said.
Similarly, Oche Muhammed, secretary of the screening committee, said his team reviewed lists of aspirants ahead of the ward contests and had begun receiving results from different centres. “Elections have been conducted peacefully in various ward centres. Already, we have received some results while we await other results,” he said. At the local level, Hon. Suleiman Tejidini, APC chairman in Ilorin West Local Government Area, said reports from all 12 wards in the council indicated a smooth exercise and that the reaffirmation reflected broad stakeholder consensus, including elders, women and youth groups.
The executive chairman of Ilorin West, Alhaji AbdulRahman Babatunde Ladan, also described the process as peaceful, attributing the calm to party unity and what he called an “enabling environment” created by the state leadership. Officials said similar reports of smooth proceedings were received from Kwara’s southern and northern senatorial districts, as the party moves to complete its internal congress cycle at the grassroots.
