The crisis within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deepened on Saturday as party chieftain, Engr. Austin Pelemo, condemned the alleged disqualification of some House of Representatives aspirants ahead of the party’s direct primary election.
Pelemo, a prominent APC stakeholder from Akoko North West, described the reported action as a betrayal of loyal party members and a violation of internal democratic principles.
In a statement shared via his Facebook page, he alleged that some aspirants loyal to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa were disqualified despite having earlier scaled the party’s screening exercise and received clearance to contest.
The APC stalwart warned that the development could spark avoidable political unrest within the party if the decision is not urgently reversed.
“If the reports are true, then the party has committed a grave injustice against its own members,” he said.
Pelemo called on the national leadership of the APC to intervene immediately and ensure that all aspirants are given equal opportunity to participate in the primary election.
He further accused unnamed political actors in Abuja and their allies of attempting to sideline founding members of the party in Ondo State for personal political interests.
According to him, many of those now controlling the political structure of the party were absent during the difficult years when APC members struggled to challenge the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
He maintained that those who built and sustained the APC should not be denied relevance within the same platform they helped establish.
“Stop disqualifying our House of Representatives aspirants through the back door. Give every aspirant a fair and just opportunity to test their popularity before party members,” Pelemo stated.
Declaring that “Ondo State is not a banana republic,” he insisted that justice, fairness, and transparency must guide the affairs of the ruling party.
The APC had yet to issue an official response to the allegations at the time this report was filed.
