- APC Faces Internal Crisis Over National Assembly Candidates
- Former Senator Ayo Arise challenged the Ekiti North primary outcome in court.
- Ondo stakeholders demanded new House of Representatives representation before the 2027 elections.
A fresh crisis is brewing within the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its revised list of National Assembly candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with aggrieved aspirants seeking legal redress and party stakeholders demanding fresh representation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite the growing discontent, the APC has maintained that the matter is an internal party affair and is being addressed through its internal mechanisms.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Former senator representing Ekiti North, Ayo Arise, confirmed that he had instituted legal action to challenge the outcome of the APC senatorial primary in the district, insisting that he legitimately won the exercise.
Arise explained that he approached the court immediately after the primary because he was aware of the timelines stipulated by the Electoral Act. He added that he was therefore not surprised when his name was omitted from the party’s final list of candidates.
According to him, the lawsuit is not motivated by personal ambition but by the need to ensure political parties adhere to their constitutions, guidelines and democratic principles.
He alleged that many aspirants were persuaded to wait for declarations from the party’s national leadership despite clear provisions in the APC guidelines outlining how the primary process should be concluded.
“I went ahead and filed my case in court because I knew what was coming. That is why I was not surprised at the outcome. This is not about me; it is about ensuring that we have a system that works for everybody,” Arise said.
He added that the court would determine whether the party complied with its own guidelines, expressing confidence that the judiciary would restore his mandate because, according to him, he won the primary convincingly.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in Okeigbo, within the Ile Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, have called for a new representative for the Ile Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 elections.
The stakeholders cited what they described as years of poor representation and inadequate development across the constituency.
Their position was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on their behalf by APC chieftain Fayemisi Tosin, who said growing dissatisfaction among residents had strengthened calls for a lawmaker capable of attracting more federal projects and providing stronger representation in the National Assembly.
Tosin said many constituents who had high expectations of the incumbent lawmaker now believe the expected dividends of democracy have not materialised.
He listed poor infrastructure, limited federal presence, youth unemployment and the absence of impactful constituency projects among the major concerns raised by residents.
He also cited the deteriorating condition of the Okeigbo Ifetedo Bridge, which links Ondo and Osun states, as one of the neglected projects requiring urgent attention.
The stakeholders declared their support for Simisola Fajemirokun Ajayi, who contested the APC House of Representatives primary for the constituency, and urged the party’s national leadership to recognise her as the rightful candidate.
