The All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for the Akoko North-East/North-West federal constituency bye-election in Ondo State have sparked outrage among several aspirants. Ifeoluwa Ehindero emerged victorious, securing the party’s ticket for the upcoming by-election. However, his win has been met with resistance from eight out of the nine aspirants who participated in the primaries.
Ehindero, who garnered 105 votes at the primary held at Victory College in Ikare-Akoko, will represent the APC in the February 3 by-election, filling the vacant seat in the federal constituency caused by the appointment of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as the Minister of Interior by President Bola Tinubu.
The contesting aspirants, including Olugbenga Araoyinbo, Haruna Adesina, Muyiwa Olusa, Olanrewaju Kazeem, and Bimbo Makinde, have raised allegations of irregularities and lack of transparency in the primary election process. Araoyinbo particularly highlighted the denial of access to the delegate list before the primary as a major concern, stating, “With the conduct of the primary, we will lose the election. One single person wrote the list of delegates from the 23 political wards. There was no level playing field. We have not seen the list as we speak. This is a charade. This is not acceptable.”
The outcry underscores the deep-seated dissatisfaction with the handling of the primaries, casting a shadow of controversy over the APC’s candidate selection process. As the by-election draws near, the tensions within the party and the concerns raised by the aggrieved aspirants are poised to impact the political landscape in Ondo State.
