Fresh confusion engulfed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State as the party halted the governorship primary election after the exercise had already commenced.

While voting activities and mobilisation efforts were already underway in several parts of the state, the postponement was announced.

The sudden postponement came barely hours after party members trooped out in large numbers for the exercise.

The development came just days after the party dramatically reversed the mass disqualification of House of Assembly aspirants for the 2027 elections.

On Wednesday, the party had sparked outrage after screening out over 100 Assembly aspirants seeking tickets into the Kwara State House of Assembly.

Reports showed that between 105 and 113 aspirants were initially declared "uncleared," leaving only about 50 aspirants approved to contest.

The controversial screening exercise affected several serving lawmakers and triggered anxiety across APC ranks, with many stakeholders alleging an attempt to impose preferred candidates ahead of the primaries.

However, in a dramatic U-turn on Wednesday, the party released a fresh list clearing all 159 aspirants, including Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu whose name was initially absent from the process.

There are insinuations that Thursday's postponement of the governorship primary is part of broader efforts by the party leadership to manage growing internal tensions ahead of the crucial contest.

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the APC State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Olawale Babatunde, announced that the governorship primary had been shifted to Friday, May 22, 2026.

"The APC Governorship Primary earlier scheduled to hold today, Thursday, 21st May 2026, has been postponed," the statement read.

Ironically, Babatunde had earlier told Daily Trust on telephone that the exercise would hold on Thursday morning.

"As I speak with you, I am going to the wards for the monitoring of the governorship primaries today.

"As far as the party is concerned, nobody has stepped down for anyone and the 16 aspirants are going into the contest.

"However, if there are any issues of stepping down, that may be the internal arrangement of the aspirants, not to the knowledge of the party," he said.

The abrupt announcement created uncertainty among party members already gathered at several wards across the state, especially as voting activities and mobilisation efforts had commenced before the postponement notice filtered through.

Confirming the intervention, Kwara APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, disclosed that the directive came from the party's national leadership.

"We don't have details of the cancellation other than the fact that the team from the national office came and instructed that the election will be held tomorrow," he said.

The postponement came a few hours after reports of some aspirants stepping down for Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, the governor's preferred aspirant.

Despite the postponement, voting activities and political mobilisation had already gained momentum in several wards across the state.

At Adewole Ward, the political base of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in Ilorin, party members turned out massively in what many described as a show of support for the governor's political structure. ]

The APC chairman in the ward, Mallam Suleiman Nuhu Amunutuka, described the process as peaceful and orderly, insisting that the governor remained best positioned to determine who succeeds him in order to sustain the administration's achievements.

An APC chieftain in the area, Comrade Wahab Abdulmajeed Temidire, claimed that over 7,000 party members participated in the process.

"Over 7,000 voters came out for the exercise to demonstrate their support for the governor," he said. At Gambari Ward II in Ilorin East, physically challenged APC members were also seen participating before the postponement announcement surfaced.

A visually-impaired party member, Abubakar Gobir, said he attended the exercise to fulfil his civic responsibility as a loyal APC supporter.

Concerns were, however, raised over the conduct and monitoring of the exercise before it was suspended.

Representatives of rival camps questioned the absence or delayed presence of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission at some voting centres.

Speaking on behalf of supporters of Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, Dr. Saheed Bolakale Olugbon said different aspirant groups were present to protect their interests.

"The only issue we have with this election is that we can only be pleased if we see INEC officials," he said.

A representative of Senator Saliu Mustapha, Shehu Afunja, also warned that inadequate monitoring could create room for manipulation of results.

"We expect INEC to properly observe and monitor the entire exercise, get the figures of voters and supervise the process closely. Without that, people may fear that results could be manipulated," he stated.

Responding to the concerns in Adewole ward, leader of the INEC monitoring team, Paula Iwenjuora, clarified that the commission was only observing the process to ensure peaceful conduct.

"INEC is only observing to ensure the exercise is orderly and peaceful. We are not expected to interfere in the process," she explained.

Meanwhile, confusion was also reported in parts of Kwara South where some party members alleged that electoral officials failed to arrive before the postponement order emerged.

At Ganmo/Idofian ward, APC member Alhaji Adebayo Yakeen, popularly known as Baba Blue, claimed supporters improvised their own process after waiting endlessly for officials.

"But we ordered ourselves to queue up and we counted ourselves and have since sent the results to our leadership in the state," he alleged.

Ward officials, however, dismissed the claim, insisting that the ward chairman had only gone to the state secretariat to collect electoral materials.

With the governorship primary now shifted to Friday, uncertainty persists within APC ranks over whether the party will eventually proceed with a competitive contest or formalise a consensus.