Members of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday staged a peaceful demonstration outside the National Assembly, APC Secretariat and Fraser Suites in Abuja, calling on President Bola Tinubu to insulate traditional rulers in Kwara State from being dragged into the political contest over the state’s 2027 governorship succession.

The protesters, who carried placards and banners, accused Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of using traditional rulers for political advantage and asked the President to ensure that Kwara gets a governor they described as knowledgeable and courageous in 2027.

Speaking on behalf of the group, an APC member, Samuel Raji, said the protesters were concerned by reports that some traditional rulers were participating in consultations connected to the governorship succession.

Raji said traditional institutions should remain above partisan politics, describing Emirs and Obas as custodians of culture and heritage who should be accorded the respect attached to their offices.

He said the group wanted Kwara residents to freely choose their next governor through an open and transparent process, without the involvement of traditional rulers in party politics.

Raji also criticised the process through which some candidates had emerged in previous elections in the state, alleging that grassroots APC members were not adequately involved.

According to him, wider consultation with party members and other stakeholders would strengthen internal democracy, build confidence in the party and promote unity ahead of the 2027 election.

“We believe party members and grassroots supporters should have a say in determining who emerges as candidate. An open process will give everyone a sense of belonging and build confidence in the party,” he said.

Also speaking, an APC stalwart from Kwara South Senatorial District, Oluwafemi Joseph, said the protest was organised to draw attention to concerns about political representation and development in the district.

Joseph said the protesters were not opposed to any aspirant but were seeking fairness, equity and inclusiveness in the process of selecting the state’s next governor.

He said residents of Kwara South wanted greater attention to infrastructure, political appointments and social amenities, adding that the district’s call was based on the need for balanced representation among Kwara’s three senatorial districts.

“We are calling for a process that is open, credible and acceptable to all stakeholders. If there is a transparent contest and a candidate emerges, people will readily accept the outcome,” Joseph said.

Speaking with a correspondent of Unfiltered Reporting at the protest, Chief Chukwura, who identified himself as a resident of Kwara South, said the demonstration was organised over what he described as the marginalisation of the Kwara South Senatorial District.

He alleged that indigenes of Kwara South had been excluded from key government positions and said infrastructure in the area had deteriorated.

“We are here fundamentally because Kwara South has been marginalised. The people of Kwara South are indigenous people of Kwara State, but infrastructure in Kwara State has decayed. There are not even Kwara South governmental positions, and that is why we are here,” Chukwura said.

He said the protesters wanted President Tinubu to ensure that the next governor of Kwara State is selected through a process that reflects the interests of all parts of the state.

According to him, the group’s immediate concern was the alleged use of traditional rulers in the political succession contest rather than addressing development projects, particularly in Kwara South.

“The governor is using traditional rulers for political gains. He is not focusing on developmental projects that we have, particularly those in Kwara South. We want the President to ensure that the right candidate is chosen in the next election in Kwara State,” he said.

Responding to questions about evidence for the allegation that traditional rulers were brought to Abuja for political purposes, Chukwura said the group believed the monarchs’ presence in the Federal Capital Territory was connected to the political dispute.

He questioned why the traditional rulers had not intervened in the dispute before the protesters brought their concerns to Abuja.

“The problem that we came to the Federal Government to resolve, why have they not intervened in solving it internally? They came here before my group came to Abuja, so the governor brought them for a particular gain,” he said.

Chukwura further alleged that traditional rulers could not openly express concerns about their involvement in politics because they were dependent on the state government.

He said, “The traditional rulers are under the payroll of the government and, therefore, they cannot do so. The governor, who is the executive governor, can sack them, and that is why they cannot speak up. They are supposed to be fathers of the nation; they are not doing that, and that is why we are here.”

He called on President Tinubu to intervene in the matter.

The demonstration comes amid growing tension within the APC in Kwara over who will succeed AbdulRazaq, whose second term will end in 2027 and who is constitutionally ineligible to seek another term.

The disagreement intensified after the APC governorship primary held on May 22, where Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker Salihu Danladi was declared winner with 94,990 votes ahead of 14 other aspirants.

Several aspirants rejected the result of the primary and alleged that efforts were being made to secure political support for Danladi’s candidacy through the mobilisation of selected traditional rulers to meet with, or seek the backing of, President Tinubu in Abuja.

The protesters said traditional rulers should not be drawn into partisan political activities, arguing that the party’s governorship succession should be resolved through APC structures and the support of party members.

However, there is no public evidence that Governor AbdulRazaq directed the alleged mobilisation of traditional rulers. The allegation remains part of an unresolved dispute among APC stakeholders in the state.

Traditional rulers remain influential in Kwara’s community affairs, security discussions and development matters, making their alleged involvement in the governorship succession contest a sensitive issue.

The protest also comes against the backdrop of concerns about insecurity, rural development and representation in parts of Kwara State, where political stakeholders have continued to debate the priorities of the state government ahead of the 2027 election.