Uncertainty has continued to trail the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives primaries in Ondo State, with results from six federal constituencies yet to be officially announced nearly 24 hours after the exercise.
The party has so far declared winners in only three of the nine federal constituencies where the primaries were conducted on Saturday.
Among those announced are Omowunmi Olatunji, who emerged winner of the Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency primary with 9,237 votes, and Olumuyiwa Daramola, who secured the Okitipupa/Irele ticket after polling 6,547 votes.
Also declared winner was the lawmaker representing Ondo East/Ondo West Federal Constituency, Biola Makinde, who reportedly scored 10,847 votes to retain the party’s ticket.
However, the delay in announcing results from the remaining constituencies has sparked tension and speculation within the ruling party.
A member of the APC State Working Committee, who spoke anonymously, said party leaders were still uncertain about the whereabouts of the election committee handling the exercise.
“What we heard was that they intended to address the press on the outstanding results, but honestly, nobody seems to know their whereabouts at the moment,” the source said.
Party insiders also hinted that the pending results might eventually be announced at the APC national secretariat in Abuja rather than in Ondo State.
The controversy surrounding the exercise was further heightened by reports of the disqualification of some aspirants by the party’s national screening committee.
A document circulating on the verified X handle of the APC listed several aspirants from Ondo State as “not cleared” for the primaries.
Among those affected was Tajudeen Adefisoye, representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency, alongside other aspirants from Akoko South-East/South-West, Owo/Ose and Akoko North-East/North-West constituencies.
The development generated mixed reactions among party members and supporters, with many questioning the timing and legitimacy of the screening outcome.
Reacting to the reports, the Small Alhaji Media Team dismissed claims that Adefisoye had been disqualified from the race.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group insisted that the lawmaker duly participated in the screening exercise and was never officially notified of any disqualification or appeal process before the primary election.
The statement maintained that Adefisoye remained a valid aspirant and fully participated in Saturday’s exercise.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Hon. Tajudeen Adefisoye remained a cleared aspirant and duly participated in the election conducted yesterday,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, confusion deepened within the party as some aspirants from constituencies where results had yet to be officially declared reportedly began issuing victory messages and congratulatory statements to supporters.
The situation further fuelled speculations over the outcome of the primaries, particularly in constituencies already affected by disputes over screening and clearance of aspirants.
Before the exercise, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, had appealed to aspirants and party members to maintain peace throughout the primaries.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure, the governor urged party faithful to avoid actions capable of undermining the credibility of the process.
“There should be no rancour and no violence. This is our party affair and everyone must cooperate,” he said.
Also speaking ahead of the exercise, the Chairman of the National Assembly Election Committee, Iboroma Harry Dabibi, assured party members of a transparent process conducted in line with the Electoral Act and APC guidelines.
As of Sunday, party members and aspirants across the affected constituencies were still awaiting official clarification from the APC leadership over the outstanding results.
