Ajipe protests the APC primary in Ondo North

By Dayo Johnson

Alexander Ajipe, the All Progressive Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant for Ondo North, has rejected the results of the party’s primary, calling the process a “charade” and warning that President Bola Tinubu could face consequences in 2027 if the alleged injustice is not addressed.

Speaking to journalists in Owo, Ajipe said the party risked repeating the mistake it made in 2019.

“In 2015, with no APC governor in Ondo, we won the presidential election overwhelmingly. In 2019, with an APC governor, we lost,” he said.

The APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee declared Gbenga Elegbeleye the winner of the Ondo North senatorial primary, receiving 28,062 votes.

Ajipe polled 17,313 votes, while incumbent Senator Olajide Ipinsagba received 9,819 votes. Adeogun Adejoro, Abdul Tunji Muhammed, and Michael Adeyanju scored 3,845, 1,076, and 640 votes respectively.

Ajipe alleged that the process in the four Akoko local government areas was not a genuine election but an “allocation of votes in broad daylight.”

He said that collation and returning officers in Akoko South West, North East, North West, and South East asked party members to write results on plain sheets, promising to transfer them to official sheets at the LGA collation centres. The officers, he claimed, then disappeared and never appeared at either the LGA or the senatorial headquarters collation point in Owo.

“Different versions of results flooded social media, followed by the charade declaration of Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye online,” he said.

Ajipe claimed that before the disruption he was leading in Akoko South East, while Adeogun led in Akoko South West. He said Jide Ipinsagba led in Akoko North West, with Mike Adeyanju and himself following, and that Ipinsagba and Elegbeleye were neck‑and‑neck in Akoko North East.

“No materials, no accreditation, no voting, no proper collation. This is an assault on democracy and a direct insult to APC members who turned out in good faith,” he said.

Ajipe accused the governor’s camp of hijacking the process, saying the primary committee, appointed by the APC National Secretariat, split into two factions and abandoned its duty, ceding control to the governor’s associates. “When the party’s own panel is fractured and compromised, what hope is there for fairness?” he asked.

He praised Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji‑Ojo for intervening to ensure peace and fairness, saying the action helped calm tensions.

Ajipe also thanked supporters in Owo and Ose for remaining peaceful, noting that their turnout demonstrated a demand for equity. “After 20 years, the Senate must come to the Owo axis. Your overwhelming votes proved it. You stayed at the senatorial collation centre for two nights waiting for justice. Owo has spoken,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the APC Appeal Panel and National Working Committee to review the facts and uphold internal democracy. “Ondo North deserves better. APC deserves better. Nigeria deserves better,” he added.

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