- Aspirant Olugbenga Araoyinbo petitions APC, challenging the primary process for Akoko federal constituency bye-election, alleging irregularities and seeking annulment
- Araoyinbo urges the party to conduct a fresh primary to determine the rightful candidate, emphasizing potential consequences in the election
The turmoil within the All Progressives Congress (APC) surrounding the primary election to select a candidate for the Akoko Northeast/Northwest federal constituency in Ondo State intensified on Sunday as Olugbenga Araoyinbo, one of the aspirants, petitioned the party’s leadership to declare him the rightful winner.
Previously, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, the son of the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sunday Ehindero, had been declared the party’s candidate for the upcoming bye-election on February 3 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Ehindero secured 105 votes out of the 106 accredited votes during the primary held at the penultimate weekend.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the primary process, Araoyinbo lodged a petition with the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje. In the obtained copy of the petition on Sunday, Araoyinbo alleged that the exercise deviated from the party’s regulations and was marred by irregularities, asserting that it did not mirror the desires of the party members in the federal constituency.
Araoyinbo urged the party’s national leadership, led by Ganduje, to annul the contested primary and conduct a fresh one to determine the party’s candidate for the bye-election. He appealed to avoid dragging the matter to court, emphasizing that challenging Ehindero’s nomination could jeopardize the party’s chances in the February by-election.
The vacancy in the Akoko Northeast/Northwest federal constituency arose when Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the previous occupant of the House of Representatives seat, was appointed as the Minister of Interior by President Bola Tinubu, leading to his resignation from the Green Chamber.