Oyo APC Governorship Aspirants Allege Irregularities In House Of Representatives Primaries • Seek President Bola Tinubu’s Intervention
By Seth Omotade
Five governorship aspirants of the All-Progressives Congress APC, in Oyo State, have raised the alarm over alleged irregularities in the party’s House of Representatives primaries, warning that the development could undermine the party’s chances in the 2027 general elections.
The aspirants under the G5 governorship aspirant however called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene direct both the national and state leadership of the party to uphold democratic principles and ensure a level playing field for all aspirants.
They made their position known at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, NUJ, Iyaganku, Ibadan, where they described the May 16th primaries as a crisis of legitimacy.
They alleged that the exercise was marred by widespread intimidation of voters, disenfranchisement of party members and arbitrary disqualification of aspirants.
Speaking at the meeting, former Deputy Governor of the pacesetters state, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan said the intervention of the Governorship aspirants was aimed at strengthening and not dividing the party.
He explained that the party’s strategies in the 2019 and 2023 elections which did not produce the desired results needs a new approach.
“We are not here to fight the party. We are from an undivided house. Our goal is how the APC will bounce back in 2027. If we continue to do the same thing in the same way, we will keep getting the same results. This time, we must do things differently”, he said.
He also cautioned against actions capable of deepening divisions within the party and urged the media to focus on issues that would promote unity as he also reaffirmed the group’s loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, while warning against individuals allegedly using the President’s name to mislead party members.
“We believe in the President and we are ready to follow his directives, but nobody should use his name to give false impressions,” he added.
Also speaking, Engineer Oyedele Alao alleged that results were declared in some constituencies, including parts of Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa and Oyo zones, where no elections were conducted, describing the development as a violation of the Electoral Act and the APC constitution.
The aspirants, Rauf Olaniyan, Musbau Asanike, Akeem Agbaje, Ololade Bakare and Oyedele Alao, said the alleged imposition of candidates and disregard for internal agreements had fueled discontent among party members across the state.
According to them, the growing disconnect between the party leadership and grassroots members poses a serious threat to cohesion and electoral success.
While rejecting the current direct primary process, the aspirants endorsed a transparent consensus arrangement as the preferred option for selecting candidates, noting that it could foster unity if properly implemented.
They, however, maintained that where consensus fails, primaries must be conducted in a free, fair and credible manner.
They also urged the National Working Committee of the party to review the conduct of the primaries and address all petitions arising from the exercise, including allegations of illegal disqualification and manipulation of results.
The aspirants reaffirmed their commitment to the APC but warned that continued disregard for internal democracy could result in division, voter apathy and possible electoral defeat in 2027.
