Ondo APC aspirants raise alarm over alleged plot to disrupt primaries

By Boye Oyeyemi

Some aspirants seeking the All Progressives Congress ticket for the 2027 National and State Assembly elections in Ondo State have raised concerns over alleged plans by opposing elements to disrupt Friday’s party primaries through violence.

The aggrieved aspirants, drawn from different wards across the state, accused some political actors of attempting to intimidate contestants and their supporters ahead of the exercise.

Speaking in Akure on Thursday, a House of Representatives aspirant, Jimi Adekanle, alleged that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had endorsed certain aspirants without wider consultation within the party.

Adekanle described the alleged endorsement as undemocratic, claiming that some aspirants were being unfairly sidelined ahead of the primaries.

“There are plans to use thugs against aspirants who are not on the preferred list and their supporters during the primaries,” he alleged.

He further claimed that the attackers were expected to operate under the cover of security agencies, including the police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“We gathered that another meeting was scheduled for financial mobilisation and coordination of the attacks. This development poses a serious threat to democracy and peaceful participation in the electoral process,” Adekanle said.

Reacting to the allegations, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, dismissed the claims, insisting that Governor Aiyedatiwa was committed to a peaceful and credible primary election. He said, “The governor cannot be involved in violence. He has consistently worked to ensure a transparent, orderly and hitch-free exercise in line with democratic principles.”