Rather than thaw, the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State over the swapping of tickets worsened on
Thursday as members of the party rejected the imposition of the House of Assembly candidate for the Akoko Southwest constituency 1.
The leaders, members and critical stakeholders in the Akoko Southwest constituency 1 said they would not accept any candidate aside from the winner of the primary conducted under a free and fair atmosphere.
The stakeholders said that the name of Akogun Olugbenga Omole, whom they said won the APC primary election, was being replaced with that of another aspirant, Raymond Daodu. They warned that any attempt to substitute the winner of the primary election could spark disaffection within the party.
The Returning Officer of the APC primary election for Akoko South-West Constituency I, Hon. Christopher Omolorun, who spoke on behalf of the leaders, said the meeting was convened following reports of an alleged move to substitute Omole’s name at the national level.
Omolorun, who described the development as unacceptable, said the stakeholders decided to raise the alarm before the alleged substitution was concluded.
According to him, Omole secured 4,648 votes in the primary election, while Daodu polled 921 votes, insisting that the outcome clearly reflected the wishes of party members in the constituency.
He warned that the people of Oka had consistently resisted the imposition of candidates, recalling previous elections where candidates perceived to have been imposed were rejected by the electorate.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership to ensure that the outcome of the primary election was respected, warning that any attempt to alter the result could weaken the party’s support base in the constituency.
His words: “We are hearing a rumour that the person we voted for, Akogun Olugbenga Omole, may have his name substituted in Abuja. We will not accept that from any quarter. We are raising the alarm now so that if the rumour is true, it should be corrected immediately.
”We want Mr. President and the party leadership in Abuja to know that we reject any attempt to impose a candidate on us. Oka people will not accept imposition because the mandate was freely given to Omole.”
Responding to questions on the possible political implications, Omolorun said although the people remained loyal to President Tinubu, the alleged substitution could affect grassroots mobilisation for the APC if not addressed.
The APC Chairman in Akoko South-West Local Government, Sunday Agbede, said party members had mandated him to deliver a letter of petition to the APC State Chairman over the alleged development.
Agbede said the stakeholders had chosen peaceful and constitutional means to ventilate their grievances, stressing that there had been no violence despite the tension generated by the issue.
Agbede said: ”The people voted for Akogun Olubenga Omole during the primary, but by the time the result was announced, another person’s name appeared. I have been asked to take their letter to the State Chairman because we want peace and we want the issue resolved within the party.”
Also, a House of Assembly aspirant, Biola Balogun, said six aspirants voluntarily stepped down for Omole before the primary because of his popularity and track record.
Balogun described the alleged replacement as unjustified, saying the people had overwhelmingly chosen Omole as the party’s candidate and deserved to have their decision respected.
His words, “All of us stepped down for Omole because the people wanted him. He won the primary, so we were surprised to hear that another person’s name was announced. We believe the mandate given to him should be protected.”
The stakeholders maintained that their action was aimed at protecting the integrity of the APC primary process and urged the party leadership to investigate the issue and uphold the outcome of the primary election.
