Fresh tension appears to be building within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State after some party members appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the national leadership of the party to intervene in the controversy surrounding the recently conducted direct primaries in the state.
The aggrieved members, operating under the platform of the Ekiti Network of Asiwaju Youths (ENAYo), alleged that the primary election process was marred by irregularities capable of damaging the party’s unity and electoral chances ahead of future elections.
The group, widely known as a pro-Tinubu support structure in Ekiti State, specifically raised concerns over the conduct of the APC primary election in Ekiti North Federal Constituency II, which covers Ido-Osi, Ilejemeje and Moba local government areas.
The constituency is currently represented in the House of Representatives by Hon. Akinlayo Kolawole.
In an open letter addressed to President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC, the group accused certain party leaders in Ekiti State of allegedly manipulating the primary election process through what it described as unfair and undemocratic practices.
The letter was jointly signed by the group’s coordinator, AbdulRaman Agboola, and secretary, Daniel Fatoriji.
According to the stakeholders, results were allegedly announced in some areas where no election took place.
“We are raising this alarm because we are the nucleus of the party in Ekiti state,” the letter stated.
“We did not join the party; we formed it, and we were the foundation members before others came in.”
“And no matter what, we shall still be the ones here to save the soul of the party during the general elections, after angry party members would have left, courtesy of the misdemeanours of the party leadership in the state.”
The group explained that its decision to publicly appeal to the president and the APC national chairman became necessary to prevent the crisis from escalating further within the state chapter of the party.
“That is why we are calling on our dear President, His Excellency, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and our indefatigable national Chairman, His Excellency, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, to quickly address this issue before it gets out of hand,” the letter added.
The stakeholders also alleged that elections did not take place in several wards considered to be strong support bases for Hon. Akinlayo Kolawole.
“Even on the day of the direct primaries, there were no elections in Usi ward, Ward 5 of Ido-Osi LGA, same in Ifaki ward 1 & 2, Ilogbo ward, Otun ward 1 & 2, Igogo ward 1, and other wards that are strongholds of Hon. Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole,” they claimed.
According to the group, even in areas where elections were reportedly conducted successfully and genuine results emerged, the outcomes allegedly changed before the final announcement in Ado Ekiti.
“And where elections were held, and genuine results emerged that he won, the returning officers would go to Ado Ekiti and announce another person,” the stakeholders alleged.
The group insisted that such developments contradict the democratic principles upon which the APC was founded.
“This is not the original ideology of our party. This very act is alien to us. We must halt it before it hurts us in the general elections,” they added.
The development comes amid growing complaints and internal disagreements emerging from APC primary elections in several states across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
What you should know
The APC primaries across different states have continued to generate controversy following allegations of manipulation, irregularities and internal disagreements among party members.
In Ekiti State, members of the Ekiti Network of Asiwaju Youths (ENAYo) have accused some party leaders of undermining democratic processes during the direct primaries in Ekiti North Federal Constituency II.
The constituency is currently represented by Hon. Akinlayo Kolawole, whose supporters claim elections were either not conducted in some wards or altered after voting.
Political observers believe unresolved disputes from party primaries could create deeper divisions within the APC and affect the party’s strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.
