AKURE, NIGERIA — Protests have disrupted major parts of Akure, the Ondo State capital, as hundreds of aggrieved women leaders and stakeholders from the All Progressives Congress (APC) took to the streets. The demonstrators are protesting allegations that the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja has altered the results of the recent state and national assembly primaries, replacing locally elected grassroots winners with candidates backed by Abuja.
This wave of protests reflects a deepening crisis within the Ondo State APC, which has been escalating for months. The current unrest traces back to mid-May 2026, when the APC conducted its primary elections across the state. Tensions rose as attempts were made to enforce “consensus candidates,” including several individuals openly endorsed by the Ondo State leadership of the APC under Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Just before voting commenced, the APC National Secretariat unexpectedly disqualified some national assembly aspirants supported by the Governor, leading to chaos in the voting process. Different factions within the party held parallel voting lines, resulting in multiple candidates claiming victory and asserting legitimacy.
Following these developments, the APC Primary Appeal Committee arrived in Ondo State to address complaints from aggrieved legislative aspirants. However, as the situation shifted to Abuja, local discrepancies were not resolved openly. With deadlines from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) approaching, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) allegedly moved quickly to submit its candidate list, effectively shutting down any review of contested local results.
Overnight, leaked “concluded” lists of APC candidates began circulating on social media. Local party members found that several popular candidates who had won their primaries were omitted, replaced by politically favoured figures alleged to have secured their positions through connections in Abuja.
The protests are primarily led by the party’s women’s wings. The women leaders expressed their frustration, stating that they organised their communities to vote, only for their efforts to be disregarded by a small committee in the federal capital. By blocking major roads, they aim to communicate a clear message to the APC leadership: unless the original grassroots winners are reinstated, the party risks losing its support base ahead of the upcoming general elections.
As the situation unfolds, the APC National Secretariat, through National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, is attempting to manage the narrative, urging the public to disregard any circulating lists as fake. However, trust in the national leadership has eroded, and the protesting women are determined to maintain their blockades until the NWC presents the authentic local winners with their official certificates of return, Starnews NG reports
Leave a Reply