The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has rejected allegations of irregularities in the conduct of its House of Representatives primary for the Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency, following calls for a fresh exercise by an aggrieved aspirant.
One of the contenders in the May 16 primary, Prince Monday Akinyomi, alleged that the process was manipulated and failed to meet basic standards of transparency and fairness.
Akinyomi claimed that party members were denied the opportunity to freely elect their preferred candidate, insisting that the exercise lacked credibility and could not be regarded as a valid primary election.
According to him, uncertainty surrounded the conduct of the poll as there was no clearly designated venue, while different groups reportedly gathered at separate locations, each claiming to be participating in the exercise.
He alleged that there was no visible accreditation, voting process or collation before a winner was announced.
The aspirant further claimed that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and recognised party representatives were absent from the purported collation centre where the result was declared.
Akinyomi disclosed that some dissatisfied aspirants had already petitioned the party’s National Working Committee, urging it to nullify the outcome and organise a fresh primary election.
“I expected a transparent process where delegates would determine the outcome through voting, but that did not happen,” he reportedly stated.
However, the APC in Ondo State dismissed the allegations, insisting that the primary election was conducted by officials duly appointed by the party’s National Working Committee.
In a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the APC maintained that the state chapter only provided logistical support and played no role in the conduct of the election or declaration of results.
The party urged aggrieved aspirants to channel their complaints through the established internal mechanisms for dispute resolution rather than discrediting the process in the public domain.
The dispute adds to a growing list of post-primary grievances within political parties as preparations gather momentum ahead of the next general election.
