Protests Erupt in Ondo State Over APC Candidate List
Hundreds of women and youths affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) gathered in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, on Monday to voice their dissatisfaction with the recently released list of candidates. Protesters contended that the list did not accurately represent the outcomes of last month’s House of Representatives primaries.
Demonstrators asserted that several names on the list belonged to candidates who did not win in the primaries, claiming that the situation amounted to an undue imposition of candidates on the party. The protest unfolded along Oyemekun Road and the Akure-Ilesa Expressway, effectively disrupting traffic and blocking the motorcade of Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa.
Waving placards with messages such as “We don’t want levy in Ondo APC,” “Let’s value our votes,” and “Say no to levy,” the crowd engaged in chants, demanding that party leadership acknowledge the true results of the primaries.
State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Seun Osamai, spoke out against what she characterized as a fraudulent list currently circulating. She insisted that it did not capture the will of party members across the state’s 203 wards, declaring, “We believe that this list is fake and does not reflect the people’s mandate.”
Osamai emphasized the need for electoral integrity, stating, “We know who we voted for and who won, so why is there a disparity between our votes and the names online?” She labeled the gathering as a peaceful protest against electoral dishonesty, urging the importance of counting every vote accurately.
Bright Ojo, a youth leader within the party, echoed these sentiments, describing the candidate list as a “democratic coup.” He criticized the perceived manipulation of the electoral process, claiming that certain names had been shuffled or replaced unilaterally by the national leadership of the party.
In a pointed statement, Ojo questioned the motives of the national party chairman, suggesting that the changes could be part of a larger scheme to undermine the democratic will of the people in Ondo State. “This is an affront to democracy,” he asserted. “If the objective is to incite chaos and destabilize peace in Nigeria through our party in Ondo State, we will resist such actions with all our strength.”
