By Segun Fagbemi, Ilorin
The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Kwara State have traded accusations over a weekend confrontation in Agaka, Ilorin, with both parties presenting sharply different accounts of the incident.
While the APC alleged that one of its chieftains, Alhaja Tawakalitu Agaka, was violently attacked following an empowerment programme in the community, the PDP dismissed the claim as an attempt to criminalise residents who rejected what it described as a politically motivated gesture.
In a statement signed by the APC Chairman in Kwara Central, Alhaji Memudu Turawa, the party condemned what it described as an “unprovoked violent attack” on Agaka and called on the police and traditional authorities to investigate the incident.
The APC maintained that political disagreements should not degenerate into violence, harassment or intimidation, stressing that Agaka, a community leader, should not be targeted because of her political affiliation.
“The violence, harassment and intimidation of Alhaja Tawa Agaka are condemnable. That she and many other APC chieftains come from Agaka, where the PDP governorship aspirant, Alhaji Kawu Agaka, comes from, should not expose them to danger of any kind,” the party said.
The APC also urged the PDP to embrace issue-based campaigns and explain to Kwarans why they should return to what it described as an era characterised by poor school infrastructure, unpaid salaries, lack of promotion and economic stagnation.
The party further called on security agencies to identify and prosecute those allegedly involved in the incident, warning that failure to do so could encourage political reprisals.
“We call on the security forces, especially the police, to identify those who attacked the house of and harassed Alhaja Tawakalitu Agaka. That is the only way to check political excesses and sustain peace and democracy,” the APC said.
However, the PDP rejected the APC’s account, accusing the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and its political associates of attempting to portray residents of Agaka as thugs for rejecting an empowerment programme.
In a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, the opposition party said those involved in the confrontation were “neither PDP members nor thugs”, but residents who were dissatisfied with what it described as a last-minute political intervention.
According to the PDP, the empowerment programme, which allegedly involved a N5,000 cash gesture, was politically motivated and could not compensate for what it described as years of neglect of the community.
“The truth is that the AbdulRazaq-led APC administration is becoming overwhelmed by the wave of rejection confronting it from one end of Kwara State to the other,” Adewara said.
He questioned why similar interventions had not been provided since 2023, accusing the administration of introducing what he termed “Dibo ko sebe” politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Kwarans are politically aware and can’t be deceived. They know the difference between genuine governance and emergency election-season cosmetics,” the PDP spokesman said.
The party also called on Governor AbdulRazaq to caution his aides and political associates against inflammatory statements, particularly over the alleged description of Agaka residents as “thugs and hooligans”.
It further demanded an apology from the governor to the people of Agaka and the Mogaji of the community over what it described as “reckless” remarks.
While the APC insisted that political freedom must be protected and violence resisted, the PDP maintained that residents have the right to reject political gestures they consider insincere.
The conflicting accounts have heightened political tension in Agaka, with both parties calling for restraint while accusing their opponents of actions capable of undermining peace ahead of the 2027 general elections.