Tension is rising within the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State as some National Assembly aspirants accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of allegedly planning violence against party members who rejected a controversial consensus arrangement ahead of the party primaries.
The aspirants, operating under the Progressive Aspirants Forum, raised the alarm during a press conference in Akure, claiming the governor had allegedly met with suspected political thugs and directed them to target aspirants excluded from his preferred list.
According to the group, the situation could trigger political unrest in the state if urgent intervention is not made by the national leadership of the APC and security agencies.
The controversy followed reports that Aiyedatiwa submitted a list of preferred aspirants to the APC National Secretariat, claiming they emerged through a consensus agreement for the 2027 elections.
However, critics within the party reportedly challenged the process, arguing that it did not comply with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and APC guidelines on consensus candidacy.
One of the aspirants, Olujimi Adekanle, alleged that aspirants excluded from the governor’s list decided to purchase nomination forms and continue their campaigns after the party leadership reportedly distanced itself from the arrangement.
Adekanle claimed the governor viewed such actions as anti-party activities and warned that another meeting was allegedly being planned for financial mobilisation and coordination of attacks against dissenting aspirants.
The group further warned that the violence being planned could surpass previous political clashes witnessed during the February state congress, adding that it could threaten peace and unity within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
They called on the APC national leadership, the police, DSS, and military authorities to investigate the allegations and provide adequate security during the primary elections.
Meanwhile, House of Representatives aspirant for Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency, Olu Akinola, claimed that nearly 80 percent of National Assembly aspirants in the state had been excluded from the governor’s arrangement.
He also revealed that aspirants had spent huge sums obtaining nomination forms and preparing for the primaries, stressing that many members who worked for Aiyedatiwa’s emergence as governor now feel abandoned.
Akinola added that security agencies had reportedly listed Ondo among states considered volatile ahead of the APC primaries.
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