Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Fresh protests erupted in Ondo State on Wednesday as supporters of the member representing Ondo East/Ondo West Federal Constituency, Hon. Abiola Makinde, took to the streets to protest his exclusion from the list of candidates released by the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The demonstration came just days after hundreds of women and youths staged a similar protest in Akure, the state capital, rejecting the party's revised list of senatorial and House of Representatives candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Makinde, who is seeking a third term in the House of Representatives, had reportedly participated in and won the party's primary election in the constituency. However, his name was omitted from the final list forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), sparking widespread discontent among his supporters and party loyalists across the state. The protest, which saw hundreds of APC members loyal to Makinde march through major streets of Ondo Town, was marked by solidarity songs and placards with inscriptions such as "Truth Must Prevail in APC," "We Reject Injustice," and "This Injustice Can't Stand." The protesters insisted that the purported appeal list did not reflect the actual outcome of the party's primary election and warned that any attempt to overturn Makinde's victory could create lasting discontent within the party.
The crisis had escalated on Tuesday when aggrieved party members, led by the Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Seun Osamaye, and youth leader Bright Ojo, marched through the streets of Akure, carrying 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 the release of what they described as the authentic results of the direct primary elections conducted across the state's 203 wards. Osamaye described the list in circulation as fake, insisting that it did not reflect the mandate of party members. She said, "We consider it fake because it does not reflect the vote counts across the 203 wards of Ondo State. We know those we voted for. We know those we counted that won the elections, so why does the list being circulated online not reflect the people's mandate?"
Bright Ojo, a youth leader in the party, described the revised list as a "democratic coup" against APC members in Ondo State. "What you are seeing is a protest against a democratic coup. The people voted en masse during the direct primary, and the results reflected the will and mandate of the people from the field. All of a sudden, we are seeing rumours, speculations and some kind of hanky-panky that some names were being shuffled, reshuffled and even replaced," he said, questioning the role of the party's national leadership in the changes.
The protests followed the approval of major changes by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to the list of candidates after considering appeals arising from the party's primary elections. Under the revised list, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN) replaced Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti as the APC candidate for Ondo Central, while Senator Olajide Ipinsagba replaced Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye in Ondo North. 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 most affected by the APC's post-primary review, effectively overturning the outcomes of several constituency primaries and sparking growing discontent among party members.
The protests have drawn attention to the deepening internal crisis within the Ondo State chapter of the APC, with party stakeholders and supporters expressing frustration over the alleged manipulation of the candidates' list. The development has also raised questions about the role of the party's national leadership in the substitutions and the implications for the party's prospects in the 2027 general elections. The protests have also highlighted the growing rift between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, with insiders noting that the revised list did not capture any of the candidates from Aiyedatiwa's camp who had been declared winners after the primary elections. Those who retained their tickets are reportedly supporters of Tunji-Ojo, further complicating the political dynamics in the state.
The protesters have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene, expressing confidence in his commitment to fairness, justice, and democratic principles. Osamaye said, "We know President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a president for women. We know he is a man who listens, a man of fair judgment, integrity, fairness and justice. So what we are saying is: let the people's votes matter; let our votes count." As the crisis continues to unfold, the APC leadership faces mounting pressure to address the grievances of aggrieved members and restore confidence in the party's internal democratic processes ahead of the 2027 elections.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments