2027: Revised APC list sparks protest in Ondo
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State staged a protest in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, rejecting the party’s revised list of senatorial and House of Representatives candidates. The protesters marched through major roads of the state capital, wielding placards with inscriptions such as “Ondo State Is on Fire,” “Ondo […]
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State staged a protest in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, rejecting the party’s revised list of senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.
The protesters marched through major roads of the state capital, wielding placards with inscriptions such as “Ondo State Is on Fire,” “Ondo State Says No to Abuja Result,” “No to Corner-Corner Appeal,” “We No Go Gree,” and “Let Our Votes Count.”
They demanded release of what they described as the authentic results of the direct primary elections.
Addressing journalists, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Seun Osamaye, described the list being circulated as fake, insisting that it did not reflect the outcome of the elections conducted across the state’s 203 wards.
“We, the women of Ondo State who are members of the APC, have come out to express our displeasure with the fake list being circulated. We consider it fake because it does not reflect the mandate of the people,” she said.
According to Osamaye, party members knew the candidates who emerged from the direct primaries and could not understand why the names appearing on the circulated list differed from those voted for during the exercise.
“It is a peaceful protest. We say no to ‘mago-mago’ appeal. We say no to fake appeal. We say no to corner-corner appeal. People’s votes should count,” she added.
She appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, expressing confidence in his commitment to fairness, justice and democratic principles.
Also speaking, a youth leader of the party, Mr Bright Ojo, alleged that the revised list amounted to a “democratic coup” against APC members in Ondo.
“What you are seeing is a protest against a democratic coup in Ondo State. The people voted en masse during the direct primary, and the results reflected the will and mandate of the people from the field,” Ojo said.
He alleged that names of aspirants who lost the primaries were being substituted and questioned the role of the party’s national leadership in the changes.
The protest came shortly after details emerged of major changes approved by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) following appeals arising from the party’s primary elections.
In the senatorial contests, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN) replaced Dr Taiwo Fasoranti as APC candidate for Ondo Central, while Senator Olajide Ipinsagba replaced Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye in Ondo North. Hon. Wale Kekemeke retained the Ondo South ticket.
The review also produced changes in all six affected House of Representatives constituencies, with Donald Ojogo, Festus Akingbaso, Oluwatimehin Adelegbe, Okunjimi Odimayo, Michael Akintomide and Festus Adefiranye emerging as candidates after the appeal process.
The extensive substitutions have made Ondo State one of the states most affected by the APC’s post-primary review, effectively overturning the outcomes of several constituency primaries and sparking growing discontent among party members.