The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has distanced itself from comments made by former Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Rasaq Obe, who claimed President Bola Tinubu could lose the state in the 2027 presidential election.
Obe, who contested for the Ifedore/Idanre Federal Constituency ticket but lost to the incumbent lawmaker, Festus Akingbaso, reportedly made the remark after the party’s primary election.
Speaking during a media briefing in Akure, the Ondo APC Chairman, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, said Obe’s statement was his personal opinion and did not reflect the position of the party or the people of the state.
“Razaq Obe is entitled to his opinion. He did not speak on behalf of the party, the government or the leadership. He spoke as an individual,” Babatunde said.
The APC chairman dismissed suggestions that disagreements arising from the party’s primaries could lead to a crisis, describing them as normal political developments.
He explained that the party had already followed its constitutional procedures by setting up a review committee to examine the outcome of the primaries, with the national leadership taking the necessary decisions afterward.
Babatunde also recalled his own political experience, saying he once lost the opportunity to seek re-election after serving one term in the House of Representatives but accepted the party’s decision.
To restore unity, he disclosed that the APC has inaugurated a reconciliation committee headed by the Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Prince Biyi Poroye, to engage aggrieved aspirants and resolve lingering disputes.
“There is no way we will go through political activities without issues. There will be political bickering and arguments, but our party has internal mechanisms for resolving disagreements,” he added.
Babatunde maintained that the APC remains united despite recent primary election disputes.
He also dismissed concerns over the absence of a strong opposition in the state, attributing the party’s growing popularity to the achievements of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s OUR EASE agenda.
According to him, the APC has already registered about 84 support groups across Ondo State and is targeting at least one million votes for President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
