A wave of unrest swept through Abeokuta South on Monday as hundreds of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) trooped out in a massive protest against what they described as an alleged plot to impose candidates through a “shadow primary election” ahead of the party primaries for Senatorial, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly positions in Ogun Central.
The aggrieved party members, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, stormed the APC State Secretariat to register their dissatisfaction over what they termed an attempt by a few party leaders to hijack the democratic process within the party.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Babatunde Azeez Adenekan accused some party leaders of deliberately refusing to distribute APC membership cards to genuine party members ahead of the primary elections.
According to him, the membership card remains the only recognized means of identification for voting during the primaries, and withholding the cards was a calculated move to manipulate the process in favour of selected aspirants.
The refusal to release membership cards to loyal party members is a dangerous signal. It is a clear strategy to rig the primary election and silence the voices of genuine APC members,” Adenekan declared.
The protesters later marched to the Abeokuta South Local Government Secretariat in Ijaye, where the demonstration gained further momentum as members continued to voice their opposition to any form of candidate imposition.
Addressing journalists during the protest, party chieftain Folk Olanrewaju Olutunji alleged that there were growing fears among members that certain individuals were already working behind the scenes to force preferred candidates on the party.
He, however, expressed confidence in the leadership of Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, stating that the governor has always been known as a leader who listens to the voice of the people.
We know Governor Dapo Abiodun as a democrat and a man who respects the will of the masses. That is why we are appealing to him not to allow a few leaders to destroy the integrity of the APC primary process in Ogun Central,” he stated.
Olutunji further alleged that several members at the ward level had been threatened and intimidated for speaking against the alleged “shadow election,” claiming that some individuals openly vowed to attack anyone opposing the planned arrangement.
The protesters insisted that they would resist every attempt to undermine internal democracy within the party, stressing that the APC constitution clearly provides for a proper primary election whenever consensus fails among aspirants.
We say no to imposition. Give us our membership cards. Give us a free, fair, and transparent primary election. If consensus fails, the constitution of our great party provides for a proper primary — not a shadow arrangement designed to favour a few individuals,” the protesters echoed repeatedly.
The development has continued to generate tension within political circles in Ogun Central, as party faithfuls await the response of the APC leadership over the growing agitation for transparency, fairness, and credible primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
