By Adeyinka Adeniran
It was a tale of different stroke for different folks in Oyo as the All Progressives Congress (APC) holds primaries election to determine party flagbearers for seats in the House of Representatives on Saturday.
While some federal constituencies had it smooth in the selection of the choice candidates, it was a different ball game for some others.
Across both, the candidates emerged both through consensus arrangement and direct primaries.
While it was a tale of allegations of exclusion in Ibadan North West and Ibadan South West Local Government Areas, it was a case of three aspirants announcing themselves as eventual winners in Oluyole Federal Constituency.
The primary for the Oluyole Federal Constituency seat ended with three aspirants claiming victory, deepening the tension around the contest.
The incumbent, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe was declared winner by several outlets, with reports stating she emerged victorious under strict monitoring and defeated attempts to disrupt the exercise. Her camp described it as a “collective triumph” for party members who reaffirmed confidence in her leadership.
Also, a aspirant, Gbolagade Abiodun claimed the ticket, with social media reports saying he polled votes across the 10 wards and won a “decisive victory”. He thanked members for their support and pledged development-driven representation.
Additionally, a former Chief Press Secretary to late Gov. Lam Adeshina, Kehinde Olaosebikan also claimed to have won with a landslide based on ward-by-ward results they obtained.
Meanwhile, a group of party faithfuls backed Mumeen Olalekan Tajudeen (MOT) as the authentic winner with 1,911 votes, releasing a separate ward breakdown that put Gbolagade at 818 and Olaosebikan at 115.
The conflicting claims reflect ongoing disputes over delegate lists, alleged imposition, and dual party membership allegations that preceded the primary. As of now, no single result has been officially ratified by APC national leadership or INEC, and the matter remains contested within the party.
It was also a dramatic scenes in Oyo East/ Oyo West/ Afijio/ Atiba Federal Constituency where despite five aspirants purchasing the nomination form and directive that primary be conducted across the Wards, no material or officials showed up anywhere on Saturday as directed.
One of the aspirants, Wakil Oyedemi addressing a press conference to express his displeasure in the leadership of the party said he had wished away a purported consensus list circulating around earlier, saying it did not have the knowledge and consent of the other aspirants.
He said it was unimaginable that some selected leaders of the party both from the national and state would consider giving the ticket to an individual for the fourth term despite repeated failure at making impact on the constituents.
Recounting his experiences of falling victim of imposition in 2019 and 2023, the legal practitioners said he may be forced to seek legal redress while also not ruling out a petition to the appeal committee.
He said his purpose would be to fight injustice and swell the morale of other aspirants of the Constituency who also felt slighted and neglected despite their many years of consistent support to the party before, during and after election period.
However, the situation got complicated when it was gathered that the result of the election was to be announced from the National Secretariat of the party.
On Saturday members of the party in Ibadan North West and Ibadan South West Local Government areas staged a protest at the party secretariat in Ibadan over alleged exclusion the House of Representatives primary election while it was ongoing.
The aggrieved party members accused organisers of denying them participation in the process, claiming that in Wards 1 to 12 of Ibadan South West, about 10 persons per ward were allegedly selected and taken to another location to sign documents.
They further alleged that in Ibadan North West, a similar arrangement occurred where another group of 10 individuals was reportedly picked and made to append signatures without a transparent electoral procedure.
The protesters described the situation as unfair, insisting that it amounted to an attempt to impose preferred candidates on the constituencies rather than allowing a credible and inclusive primary election.
It was however a smooth sail in Ogbomoso North / Ogbomoso South / Oriire Federal Constituency and Irepo / Olorunsogo / Orelope Federal Constituency where candidates emerged through a predetermined consensus arrangement by the constituents and the aspirants.
It was with lesser stress in Irepo / Olorunsogo / Orelope Federal Constituency where there has been a rotational arrangement among the components communities and which has been strictly adhered to for many years.
While Olamiju Alao-Akala, the incumbent Rep member from Ogbomoso North / Ogbomoso South / Oriire Federal Constituency got a return ticket to the House, the political arrangements in Irepo / Olorunsogo / Orelope Federal Constituency saw the emergence of a former member of the House, Bosun Oladele as the party flagbearer for the 2027 election.
In response to the development, the Chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee in Oyo State, Mojeed Alabi, said disputes and complaints are common in electoral processes.
He advised dissatisfied members to formally present their grievances to the party’s primary election appeal committee after the conclusion of the exercise, where such issues would be duly reviewed and addressed.
However, an unconfirmed list of aspirants who emerged as candidates for house of representatives’ for various constituencies in Oyo State which has been in circulation indicates that, the trio of Akeem Adeyemi (Afijio/Atiba/Oyo East/Oyo West), Tajudeen Abisodun Kareem (Atisbo/Saki East/Saki West) and Olusegun Odebunmi (Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere) are to run for a fourth term while Akinola Alabi (Egbeda/Ona Ara) and Tolulope Akande-Sadipe (Oluyole) are to run for a third term in office.
The quartet of Bosun Oladele (Irepo/Olorunsogo/Orelope), Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo (Ibadan North West/Ibadan South West) Olamiju Alao-Akala (Ogbomoso North/Ogbomoso South/Orire) and Olafisoye Akinmoyede (Akinyele/Lagelu) are seeking second term in office while Umar-Farouk Alao (Ibadan North), Sarafa Olaniye (Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North), Saheed Adejare Yusuf (Kajola/Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa), and Ibraheem Olayode Iyiola (Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East) are seeking first term in office. The candidate for Ido/Ibarapa East is being awaited.
As at the time of this report, the list has not been confirmed by the relevant organs of the party or the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
