National Assembly aspirants in Ondo State have accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of plotting to unleash violence against aspirants and party members who rejected his controversial consensus list for the upcoming primary elections. The aspirants, under the aegis of the Progressive Aspirants Forum, raised the alarm at a press conference in Akure, the state capital. They alleged that Aiyedatiwa convened a meeting with suspected political thugs at the Government House, instructing them to attack aspirants excluded from his preferred list.
Call for Intervention
The group warned that unless the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and security agencies intervene swiftly, the state could witness a recurrence of the violent political crises that marred the 1965 and 1983 elections in the old Western Region. Aiyedatiwa had, last week, purportedly forwarded a list of his preferred aspirants to the APC National Secretariat, claiming they emerged through a consensus arrangement for the 2027 general elections. However, the arrangement was allegedly faulted for non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2026 and the party's guidelines on consensus candidacy, prompting the party to distance itself from the list.
Aspirants' Concerns
One of the aspirants, Olujimi Adekanle, stated that the decision by excluded party members to purchase forms and pursue their aspirations in line with the party's directive has angered Aiyedatiwa. According to Adekanle, the governor had during a meeting a few days ago described aspirants outside his list as engaging in anti-party activities and as contesting against him personally. “We further gathered that another meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, 14 April 2026, for financial mobilization and logistical coordination of the planned attacks,” Adekanle said.
“The violence witnessed before and during the February State Congress would pale in comparison to what is being planned. This could severely damage the party’s unity, disrupt public peace and national stability, and cast doubt on the peaceful conduct of the 2027 general elections. We therefore respectfully call on the APC leadership, director-general of SSS, inspector-general of police, and chief of army staff to take immediate steps to investigate these allegations thoroughly, provide adequate security for all aspirants and party members during the primary elections, and ensure that the primaries are conducted freely, fairly, and peacefully in line with democratic principles, the constitution of the party, and the Electoral Act 2026.”
Excluded Aspirants Speak Out
While fielding questions from journalists, one of the House of Representatives aspirants in the Akure South/Akure North federal constituency, Olu Akinola, disclosed that approximately 80 percent of National Assembly aspirants in the state have been shut out of the governor’s arrangement. Akinola noted that security agencies have already tagged Ondo State, along with Kwara and Zamfara states, as volatile states to be watched during the primaries. “In Akure North and South Federal Constituencies alone, 11 of us obtained forms. In this economy, over N110 million was spent on forms alone. Every aspirant running for federal constituency has spent close to N20 million.”
He disclosed that Aiyedatiwa had not reached out to any of the excluded aspirants for consultation, stating that “Up till now, I can tell you for free that Mr. Governor has not reached out to anybody. We are all one family. Most of us standing here today worked for Mr. Governor to become governor of this state. I worked for him.”
