APC Senate Primary: Ajipe Seeks Review Of Ondo North Outcome

Alexander Ajipe, an aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ondo North Senatorial Primary, has rejected the declaration of Gbenga Elegbeleye as winner of the May 18, 2026 exercise and called for a review of the process. The Chairman of the National Assembly Primary Election Committee, Hon. Iboroma Harry Dabibi, had on Tuesday night announced […]

Alexander Ajipe, an aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ondo North Senatorial Primary, has rejected the declaration of Gbenga Elegbeleye as winner of the May 18, 2026 exercise and called for a review of the process.

The Chairman of the National Assembly Primary Election Committee, Hon. Iboroma Harry Dabibi, had on Tuesday night announced the results of the Ondo North Senatorial District primary, declaring that Gbenga Elegbeleye polled 28,062 votes to emerge winner.

According to the committee, Ajipe secured 17,313 votes, while the incumbent senator, Olajide Ipinsagba, recorded 9,819 votes.

It added that Adeogun Adejoro polled 3,845 votes, Abdul Tunji Muhammed secured 1,076 votes, while Michael Adeyanju recorded 640 votes.

Speaking during a press conference in his hometown of Owo, Ajipe expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the exercise, saying there were concerns about the collation process in parts of Ondo North Senatorial District.

According to him, the primary process in the four Akoko local government areas — Akoko South West, Akoko North East, Akoko North West, and Akoko South East — experienced disruptions which, he said, affected the collation procedure.

“What happened in the four Akoko LGAs was not an election. It was allocation of votes in broad daylight. No proper collation happened in Ondo North, and the figures being circulated are not real votes,” Ajipe stated.

“After collecting the papers, the officers disappeared. They never showed up at the LG collation centres, nor at the statutory senatorial headquarters collation point in Owo. Different versions of results then flooded social media before the declaration of winner in an online video,” he said.

Ajipe said he believed the process should reflect the party’s principles of fairness and transparency, adding that only duly collated votes should be recognised.

“APC should respect its own laws. What happened was vote allocation, not a valid democratic process. Those votes are not real, and only valid votes should be declared,” he said.

He also expressed confidence in the APC Appeal Panel and the National Working Committee to review the outcome of the primary.