A sensitisation exercise organised by the All Progressives Congress for its ongoing online membership registration in Tsaragi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, was on Monday thrown into controversy following allegations that signatures of deceased ward executives were forged in a document allegedly linked to a suspended member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Yisa Gideon.
The event, which had drawn APC leaders, stakeholders, and ward executives from across the Tsaragi Emirate, began with a courtesy visit to the Etsu of Tsaragi, Alhaji Abdullahi Kpotwa, before party members gathered at the Central Primary School, Tsaragi, for the sensitisation programme aimed at boosting participation in the party’s digital membership registration exercise.
The APC Leader of Tsaragi Ward, Elder Paul Tsowa Zhirin, opened the proceedings by addressing party members on the importance of the ongoing registration drive. The Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Social Investment, Hon. Saddiq Buhari, later joined the gathering and was received by party leaders, according to accounts from the event.
Tension reportedly escalated when a young man informed the gathering that his late father, a former Vice Chairman of Tsaragi Ward III who died more than a year ago, had his signature allegedly forged and included on a list of ward executives being circulated as evidence of support for Hon. Gideon, the suspended lawmaker.
Another party member also raised the alarm that the name and signature of the late Ward Public Relations Officer, who was killed during the Lata-Nna attack, appeared on the same document. A party member from Dugbangi, the home community of the deceased PRO, challenged the authenticity of the list and demanded clarification.
Similar allegations were also raised by party members from Tsaragi Ward I, who claimed that names of other deceased executives were included in the purported endorsement document, further fuelling doubts about the legitimacy of the list being circulated.
The revelations prompted widespread condemnation from party stakeholders, who described the development as a desperate attempt by certain politicians to mislead both the APC and the public through fraudulent means.
Dismissing the purported endorsement document, Hon. Saddiq Buhari said many ward chairmen and executives neither saw nor signed the list, describing it as fake and distancing the party’s leadership from it.
“This document is not genuine. We are not part of it, and we support every disciplinary action taken against Hon. Gideon for misconduct,” he said, according to statements attributed to him at the event.
The Commissioner for Social Development, Hon. Hajiya Mariam Imam, also condemned the development, describing it as “politics of filthiness” and calling on the APC to discipline any member found culpable in the matter.
The incident has cast a shadow over what was intended to be a routine party engagement, raising fresh questions about internal discipline and ethical conduct within the APC in Kwara State. The allegations of forgery and misrepresentation have also reignited tensions surrounding Hon. Gideon, whose suspension from the state House of Assembly has remained a subject of political controversy in recent months.
Hon. Gideon, who represents the Edu Constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, has been at the centre of internal party disputes, with his suspension stemming from allegations of misconduct and breach of party discipline. The latest accusations, if substantiated, could further complicate his standing within the party and raise legal and ethical concerns about the conduct of political actors in the state.
The APC in Kwara State has been working to strengthen its membership base ahead of the 2027 general elections, with particular focus on consolidating support in Kwara North, a senatorial district that has become a focal point in the state’s political calculations. The online membership registration drive is part of broader efforts by the party to modernise its structures and expand its reach across the state.
Despite the disruption caused by the allegations, the APC leadership maintained that the primary objective of the gathering was to sensitise members on the party’s online membership registration and urged party faithful to remain united and focused on the Kwara North governorship agenda ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party has not yet issued an official statement on whether it intends to investigate the alleged forgery or take further disciplinary action beyond the existing suspension of Hon. Gideon. However, the incident has underscored the challenges facing the APC in managing internal disputes and ensuring accountability among its members, particularly as the party prepares for what is expected to be a highly competitive election cycle.
Kwara State has historically been a politically significant state in Nigeria’s North-Central region, with the APC enjoying dominance in recent election cycles. However, internal rifts and allegations of misconduct have occasionally threatened party cohesion, particularly at the local government and ward levels where grassroots mobilisation is critical.
