Five governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the party’s National Working Committee to intervene in the controversy surrounding the House of Representatives primaries conducted in the state.
The aspirants accused some party leaders of manipulating the exercise and warned that lack of internal democracy could damage the APC’s chances in the 2027 general election.
The group made its position known during a press briefing held at the NUJ Press Centre in Ibadan on Monday.
Those involved include former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, alongside Musbau Asanike, Akeem Agbaje, Ololade Bakare and Oyedele Alao.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Alao alleged that the primaries held on May 16 were characterised by intimidation, exclusion of party members, questionable disqualifications and alleged fabrication of results in some constituencies.
He claimed that in parts of Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa and Oyo zones, winners were allegedly declared in areas where voting reportedly did not take place.
According to the aspirants, the process failed to reflect the will of party members and could further deepen divisions within the APC in Oyo State.
The group argued that flawed primaries often lead to imposition of candidates, dissatisfaction among loyal members and eventual electoral setbacks for the party.
Alao stressed that the credibility of the electoral process remains just as important as the final outcome, warning that any process lacking transparency would lose democratic legitimacy.
The aspirants also claimed that many party faithful across different constituencies were unhappy over what they described as the marginalisation of committed APC members.
While expressing support for a transparent consensus arrangement, the group insisted that any consensus decision must involve broad consultations with stakeholders and party members across the state.
Despite their grievances, the aspirants reaffirmed their loyalty to President Tinubu, saying they would respect any decision reached after proper consultations with party leaders.
They called on the APC National Working Committee to investigate all petitions linked to the House of Representatives primaries, including allegations of unlawful disqualifications and manipulated results.
The group further urged the Oyo APC leadership to prioritise reconciliation, fairness and justice to prevent further cracks within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to them, failure to address the complaints could expose the party to avoidable defeat in the next governorship election.
The APC recently announced the names of candidates who emerged from the primary elections across the 14 federal constituencies in Oyo State, with 74 aspirants cleared to participate in the exercise.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the House of Representatives Primaries Committee, Mojeed Alabi, defended the conduct of the elections, describing the process as peaceful and orderly.
Alabi explained that the committee supervised the exercise across wards, collated the results and forwarded its report to the party’s national leadership for final approval.
He maintained that the primaries followed the APC’s approved guidelines and pledged the committee’s commitment to transparency and fairness throughout the process.
