Aiyedatiwa Declared Winner of Ondo APC Governorship Primary amid Controversy, Protests

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been declared the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary, making him the party’s candidate for the upcoming governorship election. The announcement came after the party’s primary elections on Saturday, involving 171,922 members from the 203 wards across the state’s 18 local government areas.

Aiyedatiwa garnered 48,569 votes, significantly outpacing his closest contenders, Mayowa Akinfolarin and Olusola Oke, who secured 15,343 and 14,865 votes, respectively. The Chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo, declared Aiyedatiwa the winner in the early hours of Monday, noting that the electoral process was generally smooth, with only a few minor skirmishes.

Ododo explained that the direct mode of primary elections was used across all 203 electoral wards in the 18 LGAs. Aiyedatiwa’s victory was decisive, with him winning in 16 of the 18 LGAs, losing only in Ilaje LGA to Oke. However, incidents of violence in Ifedore led to the cancellation of results from that area.

Despite Aiyedatiwa’s win, controversy and protests have arisen over the conduct of the primary election. Several candidates and party members claimed that the primary elections were marred by irregularities. Folakemi Omogoroye, a female aspirant, described the process as a “complete rape on democracy,” alleging that no elections took place in several wards and calling for the primary’s cancellation.

Omogoroye’s criticism centered on the absence of election officials and voting materials at several voting centers, which prevented her supporters from casting their votes. She warned of legal action if the primary election wasn’t annulled and a transparent process wasn’t ensured. Disgruntled party members and supporters protested in the state capital, Akure, demanding the annulment of the primary election and the removal of Ododo as the committee chair. The protesters alleged significant irregularities in the ward primaries across the state, suggesting the guidelines provided by the national secretariat were not followed.

The protesters urged the APC’s national secretariat to intervene and prevent a potential crisis in the state. They claimed that if an unpopular candidate is imposed, it could harm the party’s chances in the governorship election.

Despite these protests and claims of irregularities, Aiyedatiwa’s victory stands. However, the party faces pressure to address these grievances to ensure a smooth path toward the governorship election in Ondo State.