Ibadan: Tension has continued to rise within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as party stakeholders wrestle over the selection of delegates for the upcoming primary to fill the vacant Ibadan North Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
The party’s primary election to select a candidate for the position is scheduled for Sunday.
However, on Saturday, social media was abuzz with allegations that a candidate had been imposed to fly the party’s flag in the August 16 election, with various factions vying to assert their influence.
The process has triggered concerns about fairness, transparency, and internal cohesion ahead of the critical vote.
Some party stakeholders and groups have raised concerns over the alleged imposition of a particular aspirant reportedly backed by a top government official.
The aspirant, who reportedly rejoined the party recently from the Accord party, was believed by some within the party to be enjoying undue advantage in the selection process.
Sources within the party stated that the allegation followed the APC National Secretariat’s directive, which mandated an indirect primary.
This, the source said, overruled an earlier decision by party leaders in the state and aspirants to adopt a direct primary model for the selection process.
The stakeholders stated that the reversal of the earlier direct primary model has left several party members dissatisfied and has led to an expression of exclusion among them.
Sources within the party have also alleged that members of the Delegate Congress Committee and the Appeals Committee, who are currently staying at a hotel in Ibadan, have produced a delegate list ahead of the congress to select delegates.
They said that the Delegates Congress Committees, during a closed-door meeting at the APC state secretariat on Saturday, reportedly informed stakeholders of the cancellation of the earlier scheduled delegate congress, opting instead to adopt a pre-approved list.
A senior party figure, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the development as an abuse of internal democratic processes.
He appealed to the APC national leadership and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, saying the integrity of the primary process must be protected.