The House of Representatives primary elections of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State have sparked controversy, following allegations of irregularities, sudden disqualification of aspirants and claims that voting failed to hold in some federal constituencies.
Tension reportedly heightened after the emergence of a list of disqualified aspirants on the same day the primaries were conducted across the state.
Among those affected were Tajudeen Adefisoye from Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency; Olusegun Ategbole and Seun Ajongbolo from Akoko South-East/South-West; Arowole Ayodeji from Owo/Ose; as well as Murufu Tosin Ibrahim, Oseni Oyeniyi and Olaleye Adedipe from Akoko North-East/North-West Federal Constituency.
One of the affected aspirants, Murufu Ibrahim, popularly known as Hon. Murphy, faulted the process, describing his disqualification as abrupt and poorly handled.
He questioned why the screening report was released on the day of the election, arguing that the development denied aspirants adequate time to challenge or appeal the decision.
According to him, the process raised concerns about transparency and fairness within the party’s internal electoral system.
Also reacting, an aspirant from Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency, Wale Ayadi, dismissed reports that a valid primary election took place in the constituency.
Ayadi alleged that no electoral materials or party officials were deployed to any of the 23 wards in the area, calling on the party leadership to investigate the exercise.
He maintained that protecting internal democracy was critical to sustaining confidence among party members and supporters.
Responding to the allegations, the Ondo State APC Publicity Director, Steve Otaloro, insisted that the primaries were generally peaceful and orderly in most parts of the state.
Otaloro explained that reports from party officials indicated that the exercise went smoothly in several wards, adding that any unresolved issues would be addressed during the collation process.
He further clarified that the state secretariat only handled logistics, noting that officials from the party’s national headquarters in Abuja supervised and conducted the primaries.
Speaking on the disqualifications, he said the decisions were taken at the national level through the screening committee set up for the exercise.
“Everything was conducted at the national level. The state secretariat was only involved in logistics. If anybody was disqualified, the screening committee must have acted based on reasons known to them,” he said.
Ondo State has nine seats in the House of Representatives, with political observers closely monitoring the APC primaries ahead of the next general election.
The outcome of the exercise is expected to shape the ruling party’s chances across key constituencies in the state.
The All Progressives Congress primaries in Ondo have continued to generate reactions from party stakeholders and aspirants dissatisfied with the conduct of the exercise.
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