Tragedy struck the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Friday when the party’s local government chairman, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, reportedly slumped and died during a reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
The meeting, convened by a former chairman of Ijumu Local Government Area, Funsho Olumoko was aimed at bringing together party stakeholders and leaders to promote unity and reconciliation within the APC ahead of the coming elections.
According to an eye witness account,Solomon, was actively participating in the meeting holding at Iyara Town Hall when he suddenly slumped throwing participants into confusion and panic.
Efforts were reportedly made to revive him and secure medical attention, but he was said to have died shortly afterwards in an hospital in Kabba, where he was rushed to.
The development sent shock waves through the gathering, with party leaders and other participants said to have been left devastated by the sudden death of the APC chairman.
The meeting came against the backdrop of recent efforts by APC leaders and stakeholders in Ijumu to address disagreements within the party and strengthen unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It was gathered that earlier this month, APC stakeholders in the LGA had held a meeting in Iyara at which they endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for second terms.
The stakeholders had also called for greater unity among party members, although the earlier meeting was reportedly marked by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, where the deceased and some other top government functionaries were said to have walked out of the Local government council chairman.
Olumoko, who convened Friday’s meeting, was a former chairman of the Local Government and has previously been tasked by the Ijumu Consultative Forum with helping to unite political stakeholders in the area.
The meeting was expected to bring together selected political leaders, local government and ward executives, women and youth leaders as well as government appointees from Ijumu’s 15 wards, according to the earlier notice announcing the gathering.
The death of Solomon is expected to cast a fresh shadow over ongoing efforts to reconcile the various tendencies within the Ijumu APC, coming barely two weeks after party stakeholders publicly canvassed unity and support for the APC leadership ahead of the 2027 elections.
As of the time of filing this report, the circumstances surrounding Solomon’s sudden death had not been officially disclosed, while attempts to obtain an official statement from the party on the incident is ongoing.
