‎Women and youth members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State on Monday staged a peaceful protest in Akure over alleged alterations in the party’s Senate and House of Representatives primary election results, demanding the release of what they described as the authentic candidates’ list.
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‎The protesters marched through major roads in the state capital, causing traffic disruption as they called on the APC National Secretariat to publish the original results of the direct primary elections conducted across the state. They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Ondo State Is on Fire,” “No to Abuja Result,” “Let Our Votes Count,” and “Ondo State Women Stand with Governor Aiyedatiwa.”
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‎Speaking during the demonstration, the APC Women Leader in Ondo State, Princess Oluwayemisi Iji-Ayeola, alleged that results of the primary election conducted across the 18 local government areas had been withheld for weeks before a different list of candidates emerged.
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‎She insisted that the exercise was free and credible, adding that the delayed release of results and emergence of what she described as an unfamiliar list had caused tension among party members.
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‎“We have our genuine results from ward to local government level. The ones being circulated should be discarded. We want our real candidates to emerge,” she said, urging the national leadership to respect the outcome of the primaries.
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‎She further warned that members would continue to press for justice if their demands were not met, stressing that the mandate of party members must be respected.
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‎Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Seun Osamaye, described the disputed list as inconsistent with the votes cast during the primaries, which she said were conducted across 203 wards in the state.
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‎She called on the party leadership to ensure transparency in the appeal process and appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, expressing confidence in his commitment to fairness and justice.
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‎According to her, “What we are seeing online does not reflect the people’s mandate. We are saying no to fake appeal and corner-corner politics. Let the votes count.”
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‎The APC Youth Leader in Ondo State, Ojo Bright, also alleged that the will of party members had been undermined, claiming that candidates who emerged from the direct primaries were replaced.
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‎He described the situation as a “democratic setback” and urged the party leadership to release what he called the authentic results, warning that members would resist any attempt to override the will of the people.
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‎The protest followed the APC direct primary elections conducted a few weeks ago across Ondo State to select candidates for the 2027 general elections.