Economy

“APC Has Lost Its Bearings” — Fayemi Faults Consensus Politics As Kwara Primary Is Abruptly Shifted Amid Succession Tensions

Kayode Fayemi

Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress has lost its bearing and the vision of its founding fathers.

Fayemi stated this on Thursday during an interview on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, while reacting to developments in the ongoing APC primaries across the country.

According to him, the growing resort to consensus arrangements within the party reflects deeper internal problems.

“There’s no intellectualism in the APC because there’s no debate in the party. This was the address that I gave at the Southwest party conference in Lagos,” Fayemi said.

“I was very explicit that this is not where the party has come from, that we have lost our bearings and the vision of the founding fathers of the party.

“It’s unfortunate that people are running to Aso Rock asking or begging for consensus. The inability to reach a consensus is implosion,” he added.

Meanwhile, the APC governorship primary election in Kwara State has been shifted to Friday, May 22, 2026.

The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Babatunde, announced the postponement in a statement on Thursday.

As of the time the primary was halted, many party members were reportedly still voting in their various wards and were apparently unaware that the exercise had been suspended.

The statement read: “This is an official notice from the Office of the State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kwara State Chapter.

“The APC Governorship Primary earlier scheduled to hold today, Thursday, 21st May 2026, has been postponed.

“The new date for the Governorship Primary is now Friday, 22nd May 2026.

“All aspirants and party faithful are advised to take note.

“Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”

The APC Chairman in Kwara State, Sunday Fagbemi, also confirmed that the party’s National Working Committee directed that the primary be postponed, though he said no reason was given.

“We do not have details for the cancellation other than the fact that the team from the national office came and instructed that the election should be held tomorrow,” he said.

....ponement came amid tensions over Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s endorsement of Ambassador Yahaya Seriki from Kwara Central as his preferred successor.

Although AbdulRazaq had said his endorsement would not stop other aspirants from participating in the primary, reports indicated that some aggrieved aspirants were unsettled by the governor’s choice and may have pushed for the postponement to allow fresh consultations and possible realignment.

Eight governorship aspirants had reportedly withdrawn from the contest in support of Seriki after a strategic meeting with him and other party stakeholders.

Those said to have declared support for Seriki include Salako Oluwatoyin, Ahmad Mahmoud, Prof. Wale Sulaiman, Mohammed Bio, Toyin Alabi, Hajiya Aisha Patigi, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, and the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu.

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