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The political crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has taken a new turn ahead of the 2027 general elections, with hundreds of party members in Offa Local Government Area abandoning the ruling party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The latest defection occurred in Shawo Central Ward, the political stronghold and home ward of Senator Lola Ashiru, the Deputy Senate Leader representing Kwara South in the National Assembly.
The mass movement is coming amid unresolved disagreements within the Kwara APC following its governorship primary, which produced the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The outcome of the primary reportedly led to the emergence of the G15, a group of APC leaders, including Ashiru, who became dissatisfied with the process that produced the party’s governorship candidate.
An attempt by the APC to resolve the dispute through a reconciliation committee headed by Colonel Abdulwahab Ademola Lawal has reportedly failed to completely settle the differences among the aggrieved members.
The party has also lost some prominent figures to the PDP in recent months.
Senator Saliu Mustapha, who previously belonged to the APC, defected to the PDP and subsequently secured the opposition party’s senatorial ticket for Kwara Central ahead of the 2027 election.
Similarly, former APC leader in Patigi, Jiya Kolo, moved to the PDP and emerged as the party’s candidate for the Kwara North senatorial district.
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In Offa, the latest defection was led by Comrade Ezekiel Adepoju, who led hundreds of APC members from Shawo Central Ward into the PDP.
The defectors said their decision was driven partly by their “confidence in former Senate President and PDP leader Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.”
They also expressed the belief that the PDP provides a “better platform for Offa/Kwara’s political future,” signalling growing opposition to the APC’s political direction in the state.
The defection was accompanied by a show of support from women in the area, who rallied behind the new PDP members, sang traditional songs and pledged to mobilise support for the party and Saraki ahead of the 2027 elections.
The political realignment has reportedly extended beyond Ashiru’s home ward, with hundreds of APC members in the political ward of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq also said to have thrown their support behind the PDP.
The group, led by Taofeek Mohammed, attributed its decision to what it described as “disappointment with APC administration” and concerns over governance in the state.
Mohammed also argued that the movement of party members away from the governor’s own political ward should not be dismissed as an isolated development.
According to him, defections from the governor’s political base “raise questions about performance/grassroots connection”, particularly as the 2027 elections draw closer.
