Political tensions are rising in Kwara State after an empowerment programme organised by the Kwara Central women leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tawakalitu Agaka, popularly known as Hajia Tawa, was disrupted in Ilorin.

The programme, held on Saturday at Agaka’s family residence, was targeted at women, youths and widows, with cash assistance reportedly provided to about 200 beneficiaries. The incident has since triggered a war of words between the APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reports from the venue indicated that trouble began when a group of people alleged to be PDP supporters arrived and began chanting slogans and confronting APC supporters.

Videos from the event showed opposing groups exchanging chants, while security personnel moved in to prevent the confrontation from escalating.

Contrary to earlier claims that the programme was completely halted by violence, available reports indicate that security personnel succeeded in containing the situation and the empowerment programme continued. There were no confirmed reports of fatalities from the incident.

The programme was organised as part of efforts by Agaka to support women, youths and widows, while also mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other APC candidates.

Reacting to the incident, Ibraheem Abdullateef, Senior Special Assistant to Governor AbdulRazaq on Communications, accused supporters of former Senate President Bukola Saraki and PDP governorship candidate Bolakale Kawu of attempting to reintroduce political thuggery into the state.

Abdullateef defended Agaka’s right to organise the programme and engage in political mobilisation, asking why residents should oppose such an initiative.

He described the incident as an attempt to revive what he called “thuggery and hooliganism” in Kwara’s political space and urged residents to reject what he described as anti-democratic behaviour.

The PDP rejected the allegations, arguing that those who confronted the APC organisers were concerned residents rather than political thugs.

The party’s publicity secretary, Olusegun Adewara, said the residents had a right to question an empowerment programme they believed was politically motivated.

The PDP also questioned the timing of the initiative, alleging that the community had been neglected and that the programme was being used for political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.

The opposition party demanded an apology from Governor AbdulRazaq over comments attributed to his aide and maintained that residents should be free to express their political opinions without being labelled as thugs.

The confrontation comes as political activities intensify in Kwara ahead of the 2027 elections, with the APC and PDP stepping up grassroots mobilisation and positioning their candidates for the forthcoming electoral contests.

The latest dispute has renewed concerns about the potential for political rivalry to spill into community activities, particularly as parties seek to consolidate their support bases.

For now, both parties have maintained opposing accounts of what triggered the confrontation, while the available reports do not independently establish the identities or political affiliations of all those involved.

Security personnel at the venue were reported to have prevented the confrontation from escalating into a larger outbreak of violence.