APC chieftain appeals to Tinubu over alleged sidelining of loyalists in Ekiti

By Boye Oyeyemi –

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Chief Ayodeji Babatola, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the affairs of the party, alleging the marginalisation of loyal members under Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration.

The APC stakeholder raised the concerns in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend while hosting an end-of-year programme for party stakeholders and grassroots members.

Babatola asserted that the alleged sidelining had dampened morale among party faithful, noting that many aggrieved members had threatened to stay away from future elections if the situation persists.

He warned that the growing discontent could weaken the APC’s structure in the state and negatively affect votes for President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

He described the party’s future in Ekiti as bleak if the alleged injustice and exclusion continue, citing cases of aspirants being disqualified, including that of a former governorship aspirant, Engineer Kayode Ojo, whose nomination was voided by the party’s National Working Committee.

Babatola also recalled his experience during the 2018 APC National Assembly primaries in the state, alleging that the process was compromised despite assurances of fairness, with promises of refunds for nomination forms still unfulfilled.

“If a selected few continue to hijack the party and run it like a family inheritance, then the road ahead for the APC is bleak and unsustainable,” he said.

Highlights of the event featured the distribution of rice and cooking oil worth millions of naira to grassroots members as end-of-year support.