A protest broke out in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Sunday as members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed their dissatisfaction with the conduct of the ward primaries held on Saturday.
The protesters, mostly supporters of Olushola Oke, one of the governorship aspirants, demanded the cancellation of the primaries and the removal of the chairman of the election committee, Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State.
The protesters stormed the APC state secretariat, carrying placards and decrying the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the primaries across the 203 wards of the state. They claimed that no ward primaries were held, and the guidelines given by the national secretariat of the party were not followed, as the committee did not distribute materials to any wards.
The protesters warned of likely consequences if an unpopular candidate is imposed on them, which could affect the chances of the party in the governorship election. Two aspirants and agents of two other contestants also raised concerns about the conduct of the primary, alleging that plans were made to favor certain aspirants.
The primary election committee has announced that polls will be conducted in all 13 wards of Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state by noon on Sunday, due to logistics challenges that prevented the exercise from holding on Saturday. The final collation of the results will be done thereafter.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also condemned the APC primary, describing it as a “mockery of democracy.” The development comes as the APC prepares for the November 16, 2024 governorship election in the state.
