Hundreds of aggrieved members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday flooded the streets of Akure, the Ondo State capital, protesting what they alleged was an altered list of National Assembly aspirants purportedly released by the party’s national secretariat.
The protesters, led by the Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Seun Osamaye, marched peacefully through major roads carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “No to Injustice,” “Respect the Outcome of the Primaries,” “Our Mandate Is Not for Sale,” “Let the Winners Stand,” and “Mr. President, Save Our Democracy.”
Speaking during the demonstration, Osamaye alleged that the list being circulated did not reflect the outcome of the APC primary elections in Ondo State.
According to her, some aspirants who were defeated in the primaries allegedly appeared on the list, while those she described as duly elected winners were omitted.
She appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, saying he should uphold justice and protect the integrity of the party’s democratic process.
“We have come out peacefully to register our dissatisfaction. We believe the authentic results of the primaries should be respected. As the father of our great party, we urge Mr. President to ensure that justice is done,” she said.
The protesters maintained that they rejected any list that, in their view, failed to reflect the genuine outcome of the primaries. They warned that disregarding the wishes of party members could undermine confidence in the APC’s internal democratic process.
The demonstrators vowed to continue pursuing lawful means to press their demands until, they said, the authentic list of candidates is recognized by the party leadership.
Officials of the APC national secretariat had not publicly responded to the protesters’ allegations as of the time this report was filed.
