Arise: APC Primary in 2027 Is a Sham, Tinubu Should Intervene

Ayodele Arise, a senior member of the All Progressives Congress and candidate for the Ekiti North Senatorial District, has called the party’s primary election a sham.

He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene urgently in the crisis that has followed the outcome of the exercise.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Arise said that state governors posed a major challenge to the smooth conduct of the recent APC primaries.

The APC Committee, which supervised the process, declared incumbent lawmaker Senator Cyril Fasuyi as the winner in Ekiti North.

Arise and other contenders for the ticket—including Dipo Bamisaye and Dare Owolabi—have dismissed the result as fraudulent and manipulated.

Senator Arise, who represented the senatorial district from 2007 to 2011, said the primary was a sham and that the party is only paying lip service to the crisis it has generated.

“When we talk about internal democracy, it is still a very big challenge. It’s one thing for us to have a Constitution; it’s another thing for people to try to circumvent it or the guidelines for any election,” he said.

“That was demonstrated in no small measure when I tried to come back through the primary because I knew what was in the pipeline, so I went into it to prove a point.”

“It will be a shame if some of us pass through this country and we don’t have the voice to correct the anomalies and let people know that if we want to practice democracy, let us practice it. If we don’t want it, it’s a different kettle of fish.”

“The experience I had during the primary, I really don’t want to overbeat that because I believe the chairman of the party has spoken with Mr. President, and I think they are looking at all the challenges, and I am sure those of us who worked and won our elections will be given our mandate in due course.”

“As we discover problems, people respond to them, and I believe, more than anybody else, that our President has been very proactive in terms of fixing some of these challenges, working on them, and ensuring that corrections are made before it’s too late,” he added.

He also said that “the issue of the governors is still a major problem in terms of trying to get to the Senate.”

“Even when you aren’t contesting against them, if you aren’t their favored candidate, the chances of your making it are a little bit very challenging.”

Daily Post reports that the APC primaries held last month were marred with controversies.