The elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have reportedly disagreed over the emergence of Yakubu Salihu Danladi as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

It was understood that while one group rejected Danladi’s candidature and called for the intervention of President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the party, another group defended the outcome of the governorship primary and insisted that Danladi remains the party’s candidate.

The dispute has also laid bare divisions within the ruling party in the state ahead of the 2027 governorship race.

The first group, reportedly led by its chairman, Chief James Bamisaiye Ayeni, said it decided to speak out publicly after exhausting internal mechanisms within the party.

Other members of the caucus were Senators Mohammed Ahmed and Makanju Ajadi and a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Salman Jawondo, SAN.

Daily Trust reports that the elders argued that Danladi lacked the statewide appeal, acceptability and political strength to unify the party and face a fast resurgent opposition in Kwara State.

“We do not believe that the purported emergence of Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danladi as the APC governorship candidate is the strongest political option available to the party at this critical moment,” the group said.

They said their position was not borne out of personal grudges but out of concerns for the electoral chances of the APC in the next governorship election.

The caucus also accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of not giving President Tinubu and the APC national leadership what it called “an accurate assessment of political realities in the state.”

The elders warned against the tying the future of the party in Kwara to personal interest or political ego.

“The future of the APC is too important to be subordinated to the ambitions or the personal ego of the Governor or any other person for that matter,” the caucus said.

They also alleged that endorsements and campaigns in support of Danladi’s candidature were being used to create a false impression that he enjoyed widespread acceptance among party stakeholders.

The group called on President Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and members of the National Working Committee to re-examine the circumstances that led to Danladi’s emergence as the party’s governorship candidate.

However, another group, APC Kwara Elders, rejected Ayeni’s caucus position and declared support for Danladi’s candidature.

The group insisted that the governorship primary was valid and reaffirmed Danladi’s emergence as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.

The group included the Senior Adviser and Counsellor to the Governor of Kwara State, Sa’adu Salaudeen, Special Adviser on Media, Bashir Adigun, other senior aides and members of the State House of Assembly, who are senior government officials.

The State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda Ambassadors, Abdullateef Gidado Alakawa, told journalists in Ilorin that the members of the opposing caucus are not recognized by the APC structure in the state.

Alakawa said the critics of Danladi’s candidature were “interlopers” who had no right to speak for the party in Kwara State.

He said the recognised structure of the party had spoken on the governorship primary and that any attempt to discredit the process would not stand.

The group said Danladi’s emergence was through due process and was acceptable to members of the party who joined in the internal democratic process.

It also called on party members to ignore what it described as efforts to create unnecessary tension within the APC.

The disagreement is surfacing as political activities gradually gain momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Danladi, a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, is being touted by his supporters as the party’s candidate to retain power in the state.

However, the public opposition from some elders has raised fresh doubts over internal cohesion within the ruling party and the level of consensus around his candidature.

But both camps maintained that their stand was for the good of the APC ahead of the next governorship election.

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Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday held a closed door meeting with the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) in a bid to resolve issues arising from the party’s recent primary elections.

The meeting, which lasted for about three hours, came amid rising concerns over internal wrangling and fallout from the NDC primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Dickson, in a statement to his verified Facebook page shortly after the meeting, revealed the details of the meeting.

The former Bayelsa State governor said the meeting provided an opportunity for party leaders to review recent developments in the NDC and respond to the concerns expressed by members.

“I just received my brother, colleague and partner in the New Nigerian Project, His Excellency Mr Peter Obi, CON, our presidential candidate, who, with some distinguished leaders of our party, held a closed door meeting that lasted about three hours,” Dickson said.

“In that meeting we reviewed the activities of our party and discussed a few recent issues that have been a cause of concern to all sides and we resolved all the issues amicably.

Dickson said the two leaders remained steadfast in their resolve to ensure victory for the NDC and dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

There were disagreements internally in the party, but he said there was a framework agreed to deal with such issues in the future.

“On the bigger picture, that is, winning the elections for all candidates of our party and rescuing Nigeria from the misgovernance of the APC-led government, we have always been on the same page,” he said.

“But there has been some issues and we have agreed how to handle these going forward.”

NDC leader called on party members to set aside internal wrangles and concentrate on strengthening the party ahead of future elections.

“I would like to take this opportunity again to appeal to all members of our party to cease the bickering and name calling and to concentrate on the larger issues,” he said.

“Continuous consultations between party leaders and stakeholders will help to strengthen unity and cohesion within the NDC,” Dickson said.

“His Excellency Peter Obi and I and other leaders and stakeholders of our party will continue to consult and engage one another on how best to resolve concerns, strengthen the unity and cohesion of our party and ensure that we remain focused on our common mission of rescuing Nigeria and building a better future for all,” he added.

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Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) citing alleged irregularities in the party’s just concluded primaries.

Lawal was quoted as alleging in a statement on Monday, June 1, 2026 that the primaries were heavily compromised in favour of the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar.

He said the process was rigged to produce pre-determined outcomes, undermining fairness and internal democracy in the party.

The alleged irregularities were unacceptable, said the ex-SGF, who conveyed his decision to leave the ADC.

“I am leaving the ADC because its primaries just ended were rigged at all levels in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal said.

He also blamed party stakeholders for keeping quiet over the alleged flaws in the process.

“I sense a conspiracy of silence of which I want no part. ‘Most of the members of the party are acting like this is the normal thing to do,’ he added.

Lawal, who left the PDP, also announced his opposition to Atiku’s alleged presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said backing the former Vice-President could indirectly boost President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election.

He also asked about the political leaning of the opposition people supporting Atiku, stressing that the choice of who leads should be based on competence and national interest, not sentiment or loyalty.

Lawal said he will be taking a break from active political engagements. He said that he would consult with allies on the next direction of his political engagement.

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Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has reacted to comments attributed to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, saying that Kwankwaso was once his political protégé.

Ganduje, in a statement issued from Saudi Arabia by his chief of staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, where the former governor is performing the Hajj, said the allegation was false.

Ganduje said politics is based on relationships, support and mentorship adding that every successful politician receives assistance from others at some point in their career, according to the statement.

He said he played a prominent role in Kwankwaso’s early political emergence, especially his election into the House of Representatives and his rise to become Deputy Speaker.

The statement quoted him as saying: “I also have the right to say that Kwankwaso was once my political boy because I supported him and helped him rise to important positions.

Kwankwaso would often visit his offices to discuss politics when he was working in Abuja and Kano before that time, Ganduje said.

The former governor also urged politicians to refrain from using labels like “godfather” and “political son”, stressing that the focus should be on the quality of leadership and development of the people.

He also recalled the political developments in Kano in 1998 when he won the governorship primary but stepped down in the interest of unity and agreed to be Kwankwaso’s deputy.

“The statement said that even though they later had political disagreements, Ganduje and Kwankwaso worked together for the development of Kano State between 1999 and 2003, and again between 2011 and 2015.

Ganduje said that though Yusuf once served under him, he is now the elected governor of Kano and deserves respect by virtue of the office he occupies.

Ganduje urged politicians and their supporters in Kano to shun making statements that would further polarise the state and called for peace and unity.

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The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has given a two-week ultimatum to the party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda to resign.

The Forum reportedly accused Yilwatda of monetizing the just concluded primary elections.

They specifically attributed the crisis and controversy surrounding the State Assembly, National Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries of the ruling party to the Yilwatda-led APC National Working Committee (NWC).

“The Forum said in a statement on Friday by its National Chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, that “results were upturned to favour those who danced to the tune of party officials while in several cases, aspirants who were set to win primary elections were screened out”.

The Forum threatened to take the national chairman to court if he did not resign by June 12, the country’s 2026 Democracy Day.

“We are giving the national chairman a two week ultimatum to resign on the grounds of incompetence, breach of the party constitution, monetization of the just concluded party primaries and altering the results when it favoured those perceived not to be in his camp.

“We have it on good authority that the national chairman and his team used the position to change the results and influence the outcome of primary elections across the country,” the statement said.

The APC group said it was alleging the manipulation of the outcomes of the primaries in several cases, citing alleged discrepancies between records of party officials and the number of votes recorded for President Bola Tinubu, in the presidential primary election.

“We are worried that the NWC under the national chairman did not reconcile the official data of the party with the presidential primary election. The party has 8 million registered voters but when they released the result of Mr President in the presidential primary, they wrote more than 10 million votes.

Only registered people are going to vote, according to the guidelines. “Therefore, this means that all over the country what they did was selection of candidates, not election,” the statement read.

The Forum also lamented that the party had been weakened as a result of the controversy trailing the primaries with some key members resigning to join other political parties over perceived injustice.

“This is why we are asking the national chairman to resign within two weeks. If he refuses, we will drag him to court. If thereafter he refuses to resign after two weeks, we will go to court and we will present evidence of monetization of the party primaries and also reducing the value of the party, that is why key members are complaining of injustice and leaving the APC for other parties.

The national chairman does not have what it takes to settle the grievances that are coming out of the primaries, it is clear. “They sent people to the states to conduct the primaries who do not have the required political experience and that is why we are seeing all these problems,” the statement added.

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Sam Amadi, the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, has described the exit of former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege from the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a big loss to the party.

The comment was made by Amadi while live on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ interview on Thursday.

He was responding to the resignation of an Omo-Agege from the ruling party.

Recall that the ex-Deputy Senate President on Wednesday dumped the ruling party few days after losing the Delta Central APC Senate primary.

“If Omo-Agege joins any of the parties, I think he will surely clinch the ticket because he is a very strong politician. Amadi, who spoke his mind, said:

“This is a major loss for the APC. The ruling party in Delta State has been defeated.

“He had built a formidable political network as Deputy Senate President before 2023 and he is likely to emerge as a formidable opposition force against the APC.

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Senator representing Delta North senatorial district, Ned Nwoko has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of betrayal and reneging on its promise to give him an automatic ticket.

It was recalled that in the party primaries on May 18, the former Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, scored 113,309 votes to beat Nwoko, who scored just 2,612 votes.

Nwoko, in an interview on ARISE Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, disclosed that an automatic ticket was one of the entreaties offered by the APC to woo him and facilitate his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nwoko expressed surprise at the loss, noting that he was given repeated assurances by former APC chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, that he would be the party’s candidate in the 2027 general elections.

The Senator further alleged that the May 18 election was rigged in favour of Okowa stressing that there is evidence to prove that he was the rightful winner of the polls.

“I was definitely told before I came into the party that there would be an automatic ticket for me,” he said. Why would I just leave like that without making sure I have a safe ride?

“I and others were told that there would be discussions on the new structure of the party, and we believed there would be some power-sharing formula. We had meetings with leaders of the party and we were assured that there would be some sharing formula, power sharing formula. We were even told, for example, that the state EXCO would be dissolved and that there would be nominations to allow the old APC to get a foothold into the government.

“We won the primary. All Ifeanyi Okowa did was to present proof of just one ward where there was a problem. I was present. I have evidence. I’ve got the video. You cannot make an innocent person say, I am guilty. Impossible. We won in the primary in 98 wards. No, I could not have gained his ward. It would be a foolhardy thing for me to think I would win his ward.”

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A faction of the African Democratic Congress on Sunday presented Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu as its only presidential candidate for the 2027 general election as the businessman and politician unveiled an ambitious reform agenda focused on what he termed a “Nigerian Patriot Act” that would compel public office holders to use the same public services available to ordinary Nigerians.

He made this statement at a special convention held on Sunday night in Abuja in the face of an ongoing leadership realignment within the party.

If elected president in 2027, Kachikwu said his first engagement with the National Assembly would be the presentation of the proposed legislation aimed at ending what he referred to as the disconnect between Nigeria’s political elite and the masses.

The proposed bill would also prevent public servants and their families from accessing private or foreign schools and hospitals and prohibit them from using private generators and boreholes that average citizens cannot access, he said.

“We cannot have different rules for different criminals. “You do the crime, you do the time,” Kachikwu said in his acceptance speech.

“I think my first executive interface with the National Assembly, if I’m privileged to lead this country, will be to present a bill that I’ve called the Nigerian Patriot Act,” he said.

“It is a bill of fairness and equality. It is a bill that says we’re all in this together. This is a bill to ensure that public servants cannot use the privileges that they cannot give to a common man.”

The ADC presidential candidate said every person seeking public office must be made to depend on the same health care, education and public utilities used by ordinary Nigerians.

“If you want to be in the public service, you’ve got to use the same services the masses use. There will be no private schools for our families, no foreign schools for our families, no private hospitals for us and our families, no foreign hospitals for us and our families, no generators in our homes, no boreholes in our homes,” he said.

Kachikwu also used the occasion to attack the nation’s political establishment, accusing successive leaders of deepening division, poverty and insecurity, but failing to build an inclusive national identity.

He said Nigeria must put behind ethnic and regional politics in favour of merit-based leadership and national unity.

“We are not the Republic of Nigeria, the Hausa/Fulani. We are neither the Ndigbo Republic of Nigeria nor the Oduduwa Republic of Nigeria. “We are the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

“We will no longer talk of Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba or of North and South but of one indivisible Nigeria,” he added.

The ADC candidate also dismissed zoning politics, saying leaders should be chosen on competence, not ethnicity or religion.

“We will zone out all those who are for zoning and bring in a Nigeria that will value merit, character and knowhow above primordial sentiments,” he added.

Kachikwu promised sweeping reforms in the economy and technology, including construction of technology parks in all senatorial districts, nationwide broadband expansion and the transformation of farming into large scale agribusiness.

He said Nigeria’s economic recovery would largely depend on digital innovation and investment in human capital.

“My government will make broadband available and affordable for all because that’s the only leverage our kids have to compete in this new world,” he said.

“We will establish technology parks in all senatorial districts in Nigeria which will serve as incubation centres for digital jobs, research and development.”

He also criticised what he called wasteful borrowings by successive governments, cautioning against piling up sovereign debts on projects that have no economic value.

“We can’t borrow money to build bridges and highways to nowhere when the internet is the highway of the future,” he said.

Kachikwu also vowed to deal with terrorists, kidnappers and criminal gangs with “overwhelming force”, and promised to arm willing citizens to defend communities, while going after sponsors of violent groups.

We will meet them and smash them. “This war will be fought on our terms,” he said.

We will arm all the willing and able to clear our nation of these foreign invaders. We will take the fight to their camps as we arrest and prosecute their sponsors.”

He also pledged to restore the dignity of human life and address the issues of ritual killings, kidnapping and internet fraud through economic empowerment and tougher law enforcement.

The presidential aspirant equally lambasted the government of President Bola Tinubu, accusing it of “weaponizing poverty and hunger,” while chiding opposition parties for failing to offer practical alternatives.

According to him, “The Nigerian people need to know what we will do different from President Tinubu. They are tired of an opposition that is inept, incompetent and plays politics with our collective sorrows.

“This election should be a battle of ideas, not campaigns of calumny.”
Kachikwu said his faction consciously opted not to be part of what he called “the coalition of the old fighting the old,” arguing that Nigeria needed new thoughts and not old political battles.

Meanwhile, there was also a major shake-up of leadership in the ADC faction at the convention as a new structure was announced with Muhammad Bashir Abdulkadir emerging as national chairman.

The faction said it had dissolved a rival National Working Committee that was allegedly aligned to former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Abdulkadir, who spoke at the event, described the convention as a watershed in the party’s survival, accusing unnamed interests of attempting to hijack the ADC for personal political battles.

“This is not a private organization. It is a political party with rules, and nobody is bigger than the constitution,” he said.

Chairman of the faction’s state chairmen, Kingsley Temitope Oga, described the gathering as a defining “survival moment” for the party, saying months of internal disputes had tested the ADC’s cohesion.

“Today we can proudly say ADC has survived, matured and risen stronger,” Oga said.

But even as the convention was promising national unity, there were said to be moments of discord and interruptions, underscoring the continued divisions within the opposition party as it prepares for the 2027 elections.

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Violence broke out at a meeting of stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abuja on Saturday.

It was gathered that the crisis started when party stakeholders including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator, Ireti Kingibe met before distribution of materials for the senatorial primary held on Saturday.

The Chairman of the election committee, Abubakar Adams Chika and the secretary, David Godwin had summoned the stakeholders to the FCT chapter of the party’s secretariat to explain the process for the exercise.

But one Tijani Mubarak and four others were said to have invaded the peaceful gathering, disturbing the meeting with sticks.

The video online shows Tijani confronting the committee chairman immediately over the refusal to honour an invitation to a private discussion and a heated exchange ensued.

Tijani was said to be against the election of Ireti as the party’s candidate for the FCT senatorial election but she was declared winner of the primary election.
Meanwhile, the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has declared himself the most qualified and electable presidential aspirant in ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, said his experience in leadership and relative youth give him an edge over other aspirants scrambling for the party’s presidential ticket.

He spoke on Friday in an interview on Arise Television.

The ADC presidential race has former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and former Northern Nigeria Development Company boss, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

When asked why the ADC should vote for him over other aspirants, Amaechi said he had served in major leadership positions which gave him an edge.

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The dispute surrounding the alleged suspension of Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh from the All Progressives Congress in Ward 9, Esit Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has taken a judicial turn, following a suit brought before the High Court of Akwa Ibom State.

The complaint, marked HOA/12/2026 and filed at the Oruk Anam Judicial Division, was instituted by Prophet Edet Ben, an Ex-Officio member of APC Ward 9, against the APC and more than 20 people over the disputed suspension process.

The action came before Justice Nkereuwem M. Obot on May 14, 2026, following charges by the plaintiff that his identity was unlawfully exploited in documents relating to Eyiboh’s claimed suspension.

In a sworn affidavit, Ben denied participation in any ward meeting convened on April 22, 2026, to decide on disciplinary action against Eyiboh. He further denied backing any suspension procedures and said that his identity and signature were forged on attendance records and related documents disseminated to party authorities.

Among those involved in the suit are Johnny Nsoh, Comfort Okon Sunday, Ndifreke Warrie, Hon. Iniedehe Ibok, Sunday Ben and numerous others from Ward 9, Esit Eket LGA.

Court records showed that the plaintiff was represented by lawyers, but several defendants appeared through legal representatives.

Although the entire terms of the court’s interim decision were not immediately obvious from the document our reporter received, but the development appears like an escalation of the internal APC debate from party-level disciplinary controversy to active litigation.

The disputed suspension, apparently issued by a section within the ward, accused Eyiboh, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, of anti-party activities.

The action, however, has prompted condemnation from party stakeholders and grassroots supporters, who questioned why Eyiboh was targeted despite his known mobilisation efforts in support of President Bola Tinubu, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno.

The development has further intensified internal tensions within the APC in Esit Eket, as supporters and stakeholders continue to challenge the validity of the suspension process.

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