Some members of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State staged a protest on Thursday at the party secretariat in Ibadan, accusing the party leadership of imposing candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The aggrieved members gathered at the APC secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, during a stakeholders’ meeting with aspirants, insisting that the selection process for candidates must be transparent, fair, and open to all contestants.
The protesters argued that allowing financial influence or “godfatherism” to determine candidates would weaken the party’s chances in future elections, recalling what they described as similar mistakes during the 2023 polls.
One of the demonstrators said the leadership must “stop deciding winners before primaries are even held,” adding that only credible and open primaries would restore trust among party members.
However, the situation took a different turn as the party leadership alleged that the protest was not spontaneous.
The Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Olawale Sadare, claimed the action was orchestrated by “disgruntled individuals sponsored to disrupt the peace of the party.”
According to him, “the attackers came in large numbers and were armed, causing chaos that lasted for about two hours.” He added that vehicles, office windows, doors, and other property at the secretariat were damaged during the incident.
Sadare further stated that no lives were lost, but confirmed that the matter had been reported to security agencies, who had already commenced investigations.
