Controversy as names of dead persons surface on Kwara APC’s new membership list
*As party sensitisation begins
By SUMAYYAH ADEFAKA
A sensitisation exercise organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its ongoing online membership registration in Tsaragi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State was, on Monday January 12, 2026, thrown into controversy as party stakeholders raised the alarm over alleged inclusion of dead persons’ names and signatures on a ward executives’ list linked to a suspended lawmaker, Hon. Yisa Gideon.
The exercise, which drew APC leaders, stakeholders and ward executives from across the Tsaragi Emirate, commenced with a courtesy visit to the Etsu of Tsaragi, Alhaji Abdullahi Kpotwa, before participants gathered at Central Primary School, Tsaragi, for the sensitisation programme.
While addressing party members, the APC Leader of Tsaragi Ward, Elder Paul Tsowa Zhirin, highlighted the importance of the online membership registration exercise. The Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Social Investment, Hon. Saddiq Buhari, later joined the gathering and was formally received by party leaders.
Tension reportedly rose during the event when a young man alleged that the name and signature of his late father, a former vice chairman of Tsaragi ward III who died over a year ago, appeared on a document being circulated as evidence of ward executives’ support for Hon. Gideon.
Another party member also raised concern that the name and signature of the late ward public relations officer, who was killed during the Lata-Nna attack, were similarly listed on the same document. A party member from Dugbangi, the deceased PRO’s home community, openly challenged the authenticity of the list and demanded an explanation.
- Comparable allegations were also raised by APC members from Tsaragi Ward I, who claimed that other deceased ward executives were listed in the purported endorsement document.
In response, party stakeholders condemned what they described as a desperate and deceptive attempt to mislead the party and the public by including names of deceased members.
Dismissing the document, Hon. Saddiq Buhari stated that many ward chairmen and executives neither saw nor signed the list, describing it as fake and distancing the party leadership from it.
Also reacting, the Commissioner for Social Development, Hon. Hajiya Mariam Imam, described the development as politics of filthiness, urging the APC to discipline any member found culpable.
Despite the controversy, APC leaders maintained that the primary objective of the gathering was to sensitize members on the party’s online membership registration and called on party faithful to remain united and focused on the Kwara North governorship agenda ahead of the 2027 elections.
