Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, died on Friday after collapsing at a party reconciliation meeting held in Iyara, the council headquarters.

Solomon fell during proceedings at the Iyara Town Hall, where participants had gathered at the invitation of Funsho Olumoko, a former chairman of the local government. Those present reportedly tried to revive him before he was rushed to a hospital in Kabba, where he was later confirmed dead.

The development sent shock waves through the meeting, with party leaders, government officials and other attendees left visibly shaken by what had unfolded.

Why the reconciliation meeting was called

Olumoko convened the gathering as part of broader efforts to patch up divisions within the Ijumu APC and build unity among stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections. The session was designed to bring together ward and local government executives, women and youth leaders, and government appointees drawn from all 15 wards in the council area.

The push for reconciliation followed tensions that surfaced at an earlier APC gathering in Iyara in August, where stakeholders met to endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for re-election. That meeting was reportedly disrupted by disagreements over the local government's leadership, with Solomon and several other officials said to have walked out before proceedings concluded.

Impact on APC reconciliation efforts

Solomon's death is likely to complicate the ongoing reconciliation drive within the Ijumu APC at a particularly delicate moment, as the party works to present a united front before the next election cycle.

As of the time this report was filed, the medical cause of his collapse had not been officially disclosed. Efforts to obtain a formal response from the APC leadership were also still ongoing.