The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has concluded its House of Representatives primary elections amid allegations of irregularities, last-minute disqualifications, and claims that voting did not hold in some constituencies.
The controversy was further heightened by the release of a list of disqualified aspirants on the day of the primaries, affecting seven aspirants across some Federal Constituencies in the state.
Those affected include Adefisoye Tajudeen (Idanre/Ifedore), Olusegun Ategbole and Seun Ajongbolo (Akoko Southeast/Southwest), Arowole Ayodeji (Owo/Ose), and Murufu Tosin Ibrahim, Oseni Oyeniyi, and Olaleye Adedipe from Akoko NorthEast/Northwest Federal Constituency.
One of the affected aspirants, Murufu Ibrahim, popularly known as Hon. Murphy, described his disqualification as sudden and questioned the timing of the screening report released on the day of the primaries.
He alleged that the late disclosure of disqualification outcomes undermined transparency and denied aspirants the opportunity for redress, calling on the party to explain the process.
Similarly, an aspirant in the Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency, Wale Ayadi, rejected claims that a valid primary election was conducted, insisting that no electoral materials or officials were deployed to any of the 23 wards.
He called for an investigation into what he described as irregularities, stressing the need to protect internal democracy and ensure fairness in the process.
Reacting to the concerns, the party’s Director of Media and Publicity in the state, Steve Otaloro, said the exercise was largely peaceful across the state, insisting that reports from the field indicated a smooth and orderly process in most wards.
Otaloro, who Spoke with LEADERSHIP, maintained that any grey areas would be clarified at the collation stage, adding that the party was still reviewing reports from field officers.
He stressed that the APC state secretariat only provided logistics, noting that the conduct of the primaries was handled by officials deployed from the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking about the disqualified aspirants, he said “Everybody should be aware that it has nothing to do with the state secretariat here. Everything was conducted at the national level, it is the national level that sets the rules and how to go about it.
”Whatever they have done has to do with their own decision at the national level. There is still a screening committee that reports back, if at that level anybody is disqualified, they must have given personal reasons for the disqualification.”
Meanwhile, Ondo State has nine seats in the House of Representatives, with the outcome of the APC primaries expected to shape the party’s representation ahead of the next general election.
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