How Aiyedatiwa weaponised state power against democracy in Ondo North —APC Aspirant, Ajipe

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Chief Alexander Oluremi Ajipe, All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial aspirant in Ondo North, has alleged that the party’s primary results in four of six local government areas in the district were manipulated.

Addressing a press conference, yesterday, in Owo, Ajipe explained that he won in Owo and Ose local government areas where proper exercise was held during the senatorial primary conducted on Monday, May 18, 2026, but insisted that results from Akoko Northwest, Akoko Northeast, Akoko Southeast and Akoko Southwest local government areas did not reflect what happened on the field and results of the four council areas were fraudulently allocated.

At the APC State Secretariat in Akure, the Chairman of the National Assembly Primary Election Committee, Hon. Iboroma Harry Dabibi, had, on Tuesday, announced that “Gbenga Elegbeleye polled 28,062 votes to emerge winner,. Ajipe Alex secured 17,313 votes, while incumbent Senator Olajide Ipinsagba recorded 9,819 votes.

“Adeogun Adejoro polled 3,845 votes, Abdul Tunji Muhammed secured 1,076 votes, while Michael Adeyanju recorded 640 votes.”

However, reacting, Ajipe called on the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to review the declaration of the Ondo North senatorial primary results and declare him the winner since he was the one with validly counted votes.

The aspirant commended the Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for intervening and prevented crisis the senatorial primary could have caused, and expressed dissatisfaction with the roles allegedly played by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in imposing Elegbeleye.

Ajipe said, “The Ajipe Democratic Movement [ADM] categorically rejects the purported declaration of Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye as the winner of the APC Ondo North Senatorial Primary held on May 18, 2026.

“What happened in the 4 Akoko LGAs was not an election. It was allocation of votes in broad daylight. In Akoko Southwest, Akoko Northeast, Akoko Northwest, and Akoko Southeast, collation and returning officers got APC members to write results on plain sheets of paper with the promise of transferring them to the official result sheets at the LG collation center.

“After collecting the papers, the officers disappeared. They never showed up at the LG collation centers, or at the statutory senatorial headquarters collation point in Owo. Different versions of results then flooded social media, followed by the charade declaration of Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye online.

“A fair assessment of events before the disruption shows that I was leading in Akoko Southeast; Hon. Ade Adeogun was clearly leading in Akoko Southwest; Hon. Jide Ipinsagba was leading in Akoko Northwest, followed by Engr. Mike Adeyanju and myself; and in Akoko Northeast, Hon. Jide Ipinsagba and Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye were head-to-head, followed by Chief Abdul.

“Before these standings could be formally collated, the returning and collation officers disappeared and voting ended abruptly. No materials, no accreditation, no voting, no proper collation. This is an assault on democracy and a direct insult to APC members who turned out in good faith.

“We condemn the governor’s undemocratic tendencies. 

The entire process was handed over to the governor’s  political associates and his anointed aspirant.

“The Primary Committee and its technical team appointed by the APC National Secretariat was supposed to divide itself and supervise the three senatorial districts for effective supervision and monitoring . Instead, the committee split into two factions, one headed by the chairman and another by the secretary and ceded everything to the governor’s camp.

“When the party’s own panel is fractured and compromised, what hope is there for fairness?

“We appreciate the Hon. Minister of Interior. We acknowledge and thank the Hon. Minister of Interior for his stand during the process to ensure peace and fairness, even when we least expected it. His intervention helped calm tensions and reminded us that there are still leaders within the party who value justice over imposition.

“This shows the governor is disconnected from the grassroots. 

Resorting to vote allocation proves he is not popular with the people and out of tune with the realities of the common man.

“The party risks repeating history. In 2015, with no APC governor in Ondo, we won the presidential election overwhelmingly. In 2019, with an APC governor, we lost. If this injustice stands, Mr. President may become the biggest victim again in 2027.”

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المصدر: Vanguard (NG)