By Seyi Odewale
A coalition of stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of sponsoring recent protests against the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) over its review of the state’s senatorial and House of Representatives primary elections.
The group, operating under the aegis of the Ondo APC Progressive Minds Alliance (OPMA), described the demonstrations by some women and youths as orchestrated attempts to discredit the NWC following its review of the primary outcomes.
Backing the NWC’s decision, the coalition insisted that the party’s national leadership merely exercised its constitutional powers by reviewing petitions arising from the primaries to ensure fairness and compliance with the APC constitution.
The group also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, for what it described as their commitment to internal democracy and the rule of law.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, OPMA Coordinator Wole Ogunlade alleged that state resources were deployed to organise protests intended to blackmail the party’s leadership.
“It is most regrettable that the APC-led government in Ondo State has resorted to deploying state resources to malign the National Working Committee and discredit its decisions. This is a dangerous precedent and a betrayal of the trust reposed in the party leadership,” Ogunlade said.
He maintained that the NWC acted strictly within its constitutional mandate by reviewing appeals submitted after the primaries.
“The truth is that the NWC only exercised its constitutional responsibility to review appeals and ensure that the will of party members, as expressed during the primaries, was not subverted,” he stated.
According to him, the changes made to some senatorial and House of Representatives candidacies followed due process and were based on credible evidence presented before the party’s leadership.
“The review produced changes, but those changes were not arbitrary. They followed due process as prescribed by our party’s constitution. The NWC did not impose candidates; it ensured that justice and fairness prevailed,” Ogunlade added.
The coalition warned party members against actions that could create divisions within the APC, urging those dissatisfied with the outcomes of the primaries to pursue legitimate channels for redress rather than staging public demonstrations.
“The APC is bigger than any individual or group. Personal ambitions must not be allowed to destroy the party or embarrass President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Ogunlade also announced plans by the group to embark on a statewide sensitisation campaign to explain the rationale behind the NWC’s decisions to party members across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
“We are fully mobilised and ready to counter every attempt to mislead our members. We will visit all the local government areas to educate party faithful on why the NWC took the decisions it did,” he declared.
Also speaking, the OPMA Women Leader, Mrs Lolade Adubiaro, distanced the coalition from the protests, insisting that the demonstrators did not represent the majority of APC women in the state.
“We women of the APC in Ondo State are solidly behind the National Working Committee. The protest by some women and youths does not reflect the true position of our members,” she said.
She described the demonstration as an unnecessary distraction allegedly orchestrated by politicians unhappy with the outcome of the primaries.
Adubiaro urged the Ondo State Government to concentrate on governance rather than engage in actions that could deepen divisions within the ruling party.
“The government should focus on delivering good governance to the people of Ondo State instead of engaging in political battles that can only weaken our party,” she added.
The APC National Working Committee recently reviewed the outcome of the party’s National Assembly primaries in Ondo State following petitions alleging irregularities. This development triggered protests by some party members opposed to the decision.
