Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has vehemently denied allegations that he is sponsoring opposition candidates or engaging in anti-party activities, declaring zero tolerance for such actions within the All Progressives Congress as the party prepares for the 2027 general elections. Addressing a stakeholders' meeting with APC local government and ward chairmen in Akure on Monday, September 7, 2026, the governor dismissed reports that he was backing candidates of other political parties in retaliation against the APC national leadership for substituting his preferred National Assembly candidates. He described those behind the allegations as "naysayers, blackmailers and slanderers" and insisted he had never engaged in anti-party activities throughout his political career.
Aiyedatiwa's denial comes amid growing concerns within the Ondo APC over internal strife and allegations of disloyalty. The party's National Working Committee is reportedly considering dissolving the Ondo State executive committee following concerns over alleged anti-party activities. Some of the governor's loyalists who lost the party's primaries have since defected to other political parties to contest the 2027 elections. In a firm rebuttal, Aiyedatiwa stated: "I have zero tolerance for anti-party. I have never engaged in anti-party in my life. I have not asked any candidate to contest in any other party."
Tracing his political loyalty to the progressive political bloc, the governor recalled that he chose to join the Alliance for Democracy, later the Action Congress of Nigeria, even when the Labour Party was in government and the Peoples Democratic Party was dominant in his senatorial district. He also recounted his experience during the 2019 APC governorship primary, when he said he won the exercise but the national leadership overturned the result. "The party leadership was supreme. That experience taught me the need for members to respect the authority and decisions of the leadership," he said.
Aiyedatiwa charged the 18 local government and 203 ward chairmen to intensify grassroots mobilisation and work towards securing victory for the APC in 2027. He directed ward chairmen and secretaries to hold regular meetings to deliberate on party affairs, stressing that mobilisation must not be mixed with anti-party activities. "Elections are won at the polling units. And the polling units are right there in the ward. And you are the ward chairmen. You are occupying a significant role in party structure," he said. He urged party members to remain loyal and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all APC candidates in the 2027 elections. "So, no to anti-party. Let's support Mr President and all the candidates of our party," he added.
The state APC Chairman, Hon. Babatunde Kolawole, called for total loyalty to the governor and the party, warning that the party had gathered intelligence on acts of disloyalty and those found culpable would face consequences. Kolawole commended Aiyedatiwa for activating the party's organs and approving a 100 per cent increase in allowances for ward and local government chairmen as well as state executives. Speaking on behalf of the local government chairmen, Oluwadare Fadumo thanked the governor for what he described as unprecedented support for councils, market women and youths, saying, "We want to thank you because this is the first time this is happening in the history of politics in Ondo State."
The governor's robust denial of the allegations underscores the high political stakes ahead of the 2027 elections, with the Ondo APC facing internal tensions that could affect its electoral fortunes. As the party seeks to present a united front, Aiyedatiwa's message to party members is clear: loyalty to the party and its candidates is non-negotiable, and any acts of anti-party behaviour will not be tolerated.
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