Fresh indications have emerged that some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State are mobilising for a protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja over the inclusion of Senator Saliu Mustapha, Dr. Kola Jiya and others in the final list of candidates for the forthcoming general elections.
Kwara Reporters reliably gathered that the protest, being planned for Monday, October 12, or Tuesday, October 13, is part of renewed efforts by some APC stakeholders to challenge Mustapha’s nomination as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Kwara Central Senatorial District.
The development follows the release of the final list of candidates on Saturday, which reportedly confirmed Mustapha’s inclusion despite earlier predictions by some APC chieftains and social media influencers that his name would be excluded.
Sources within the ruling party disclosed that the development has triggered fresh concerns among some APC stakeholders, particularly those who had expressed confidence that the senator would not appear on the ballot.
Kwara Reporters learnt that members of the APC State Executive Council and other party officials, many of whom are already in Abuja for the party’s North Central Presidential Campaign Rally, have allegedly been directed to spearhead the planned demonstration.
Other party supporters initially mobilised for the presidential rally have reportedly been instructed to remain in Abuja pending the protest, rather than return to Ilorin on Sunday as earlier scheduled.
A senior APC chieftain, who spoke to Kwara Reporters on condition of anonymity, confirmed receiving instructions to remain in the Federal Capital Territory until the planned protest is concluded.
“We have been told not to return to Ilorin yet. The instruction is that we should remain in Abuja until the protest at INEC headquarters is carried out,” the source disclosed.
The source further claimed that the organisers were determined to make the demonstration sufficiently prominent to attract national attention.
“We have been told to ensure that the protest is loud. There may be similar protests from other states, but the Kwara protest is expected to be decisive,” the source added.
The planned demonstration comes amid heightened political rivalry between Mustapha and the APC establishment in Kwara State, following the senator’s emergence as the PDP candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.
Mustapha’s inclusion in the candidate list represents a significant development in the political contest for Kwara Central, where the APC had earlier expressed confidence about its electoral prospects.
Although the precise demands of the planned protesters remain unclear, sources suggested that the demonstration would centre on calls for INEC to reconsider Mustapha’s nomination.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kwara APC leadership had not publicly confirmed the planned demonstration, while INEC had not announced any decision to revisit the senator’s nomination.
