Ondo APC Aspirant Rejects Primary Result, Demands Rerun

An aspirant in the recently concluded All Progressives Congress senatorial primary election in Ondo North Senatorial District, Mr. Alex Ajipe, has rejected the outcome of the exercise and called for a fresh primary.

According to results released by the National Assembly Primary Election Committee, a former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Gbenga Elegbeleye, emerged winner with 28,062 votes. The incumbent senator, Olajide Ipinsagba, scored 9,819 votes, while Ajipe polled 17,313 votes.

But speaking in Owo Local Government Area, Ajipe alleged that the election in four of the six local governments in the district did not follow the party’s directives. He accused electoral officers of disappearing after collecting result sheets from party members.

The aspirant, who is also convener of the Ajipe Democratic Movement, described the process as an assault on democracy. He claimed that in four Akoko local government areas, collation officers deceived members into writing results on plain paper, promising to transfer them to official sheets, only to vanish afterwards.

He said a fair assessment before the disruption showed he was leading in Akoko South East. Ajipe has since filed an appeal and urged the APC national leadership to investigate the matter and conduct a rerun.

The protest adds to growing controversies surrounding the conduct of APC National Assembly primaries in Ondo State. Earlier, suspected political thugs reportedly disrupted the announcement of House of Representatives results in Akure, forcing officials and journalists to flee

Despite the disturbances, the party has maintained that all exercises were conducted in line with the Electoral Act and its guidelines.