Controversy has trailed the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primaries held on May 16, 2026, in Ekiti South Federal Constituency II, as sitting state lawmaker and sole female aspirant Hon. Teju Okuyiga has formally rejected the outcome.
In a statement released on Sunday, Okuyiga alleged sweeping violations during the exercise, including the announcement of results in wards where no voting took place, the absence of ballot papers in a significant number of wards, and the open disregard of party guidelines for delegate accreditation, voting, and collation.
“This was not an election,” she stated bluntly. “Electoral figures were allocated, and delegates in several wards were given no opportunity whatsoever to exercise their franchise.”
Beyond the procedural failures, Okuyiga raised a pointed gender dimension, alleging that the process was deliberately manipulated to undermine her candidacy as the only female aspirant in the race. “When party leaders actively work against inclusion and gender representation, it weakens our party’s credibility and alienates the very people we seek to represent,” she said.
The lawmaker has called on the APC‘s National Working Committee, the Presidency, and all relevant authorities to urgently review the conduct of the primaries and uphold what she described as the delegates’ authentic mandate.
Okuyiga, who pledged to pursue “every lawful and party-approved channel” available to her, closed with a defiant note to her supporters: “The struggle for fair representation continues, and we will not be silenced.”
The APC national leadership is yet to respond to the allegations.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The legitimacy of the APC’s House of Representatives primaries in Ekiti South Federal Constituency II is under serious question following allegations of result fabrication, widespread voting suppression, and deliberate gender-based exclusion.
At the center of it all is a sitting female lawmaker who says she was robbed, not by chance, but by design. Until the party’s national leadership responds and acts decisively, the credibility of the process and of the APC‘s commitment to inclusive democracy hangs in the balance.
