Ondo youths, APC women protest alleged imposition of National Assembly candidates

By Boye Oyeyemi

Youths and women of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State on Monday staged a protest in Akure over the list of National Assembly candidates reportedly ratified by the party’s National Working Committee for the 2027 general elections, alleging that the exercise ignored the outcome of the party’s primaries.

The protesters, dressed in white, marched through major roads in the state capital, moving from Oba Market through Ilesa Motor Park to Oloko Junction, where they briefly disrupted traffic on the Akure-Ilesa Expressway while demanding the reversal of what they described as an imposed candidates’ list.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We Reject Abuja List,” “We Stand by Ondo State Congress Results,” and “We Say No to Imposition,” the demonstrators insisted that the results of the direct primaries conducted across the state should be respected.

The protest was led by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr Seun Osamaye, the APC Women Leader in the state, Princess Oluwayemisi Iji-Ayeola, and youth leader Ojo Bright, who maintained that the primaries were peaceful and reflected the wishes of party members across the 203 wards in the state.

Speaking during the protest, Osamaye rejected the list allegedly released by the party’s national leadership, insisting it did not represent the outcome of the primaries. She said the women were demanding transparency and fairness, stressing that the votes cast by members must determine those who emerge as candidates.

“We know those who won the primaries because we participated in the process. The list circulating does not reflect the mandate of party members, and that is why we have come out peacefully to demand justice. We believe the leadership of the party should uphold the will of the people and make the appeal process transparent,” she said.

While also addressing the protesters, Bright alleged that the mandate of party members was being undermined through attempts to substitute candidates after the primaries.

He warned that any move to alter the outcome of the exercise could trigger avoidable discontent, insisting that party members would continue to resist what he described as efforts to overturn the democratic process.

Similarly. Iji-Ayeola said the protest was aimed at resisting injustice, adding that the women and youths of the party would continue to demand fairness and equity.

She urged the national leadership of the APC to respect the outcome of the primaries and ensure that the candidates eventually presented by the party truly reflected the wishes of members in Ondo State.