Ondo APC aspirants reject alleged consensus plan, accuse leadership of plot

Four aspirants contesting for the Ondo East/Ondo West Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives under the All Progressives Congress have accused the party’s state leadership of plotting to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the primaries.

The aspirants  Jibayo Adeyeye, Ade Adeniyi, Bola Fisayo and Michael Ajilo  made the allegation in a communiqué issued after a meeting held on Thursday. They warned that such a move would undermine internal democracy.

The four candidates insisted they were not part of any consensus arrangement leading to the endorsement of any candidate for the constituency. They noted that they had already obtained their expression of interest and nomination forms and were fully prepared for a direct primary.

They also called for a transparent process to determine the party’s flagbearer, stating that they had offered themselves as credible alternatives within the APC. According to the aspirants, ongoing internal consultations among themselves could still yield a consensus in due course.

In response, the party’s state leadership dismissed the allegations as unfounded and premature. A party official noted that the primary election had not yet been conducted and that the sale of nomination forms was still ongoing. It would therefore be premature, the official argued, for anyone to speak of a consensus at this stage.

The party further stated that the state governor had been convening quarterly stakeholders’ meetings and consulting party members across the three senatorial districts. If there were any intention to impose a candidate, such extensive consultations would have been unnecessary, the leadership added.

Meanwhile, tensions within the party have reportedly spilled into street-level protests, with some members in Odigbo Local Government Area demonstrating against alleged imposition plans ahead of the primaries. The party leadership assured members that all internal disagreements would be addressed through due process to ensure fairness.