From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, have traded accusations over a weekend incident in Agaka, Ilorin, with the two parties giving sharply contrasting accounts of the confrontation.
The APC in Kwara Central, alleged that its chieftain, Alhaja Tawakalitu Agaka, was violently attacked after an empowerment programme in her hometown, while the PDP dismissed the allegation as an attempt to criminalise residents who rejected what it described as a politically motivated gesture.
In a statement signed by its Kwara Central Chairman, Alhaji Memudu Turawa, the APC condemned what it described as the “unprovoked violent attack” on Agaka and called on the police and traditional authorities to investigate the incident.
The party said political disagreements should not degenerate into violence, harassment or intimidation, stressing that Agaka, who is also a community leader, should not be targeted because of her political affiliation.
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“The violent, harassment, and intimidation of Alhaja Tawa Agaka is condemnable. That she and many other APC chieftains come from Agaka where the PDP governorship Alhaji Kawu Agaka comes from should not expose them to danger of any kind,” the APC said.
It urged the PDP to embrace issue-based campaigns and convince Kwarans why they should return to what it described as the era of poor school infrastructure, unpaid salaries, lack of promotion and economic stagnation.
The APC also warned that failure to address the alleged attack could encourage reprisals, urging security agencies to identify and bring those involved to justice.
“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 party said.
However, the PDP rejected the APC’s account, accusing the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq administration and its agents of attempting to portray residents of Agaka as thugs simply because they rejected an empowerment programme.
In a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, the PDP said the people 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 party, the empowerment programme, which allegedly involved a N5,000 gesture, was politically motivated and could not erase 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 government of introducing what he called “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 PDP further demanded that Governor AbdulRazaq caution his aides and political agents against inflammatory statements, particularly over the alleged description of Agaka residents as “thugs and hooligans.”
It also called on the governor to apologise to the people of Agaka and the Mogaji of the community over what it described as the “reckless” remarks.
While the APC maintained that political freedom must be protected and violence resisted, the PDP insisted that residents have the right to reject political gestures they consider insincere.
The dispute has consequently heightened political tension in Agaka, with both parties calling for restraint while accusing the other side of actions capable of undermining peace ahead of the 2027 elections.
