…Insist Ojetunde emerged from valid primary, demand respect for party process
Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
YOUTHS and elders in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have kicked against the alleged imposition of a chairmanship candidate on the Allied People’s Movement (APM), insisting that the outcome of the party’s 3 August 2026 primary election must be respected.
The stakeholders’ position followed reports that Adigun Omoleader Afeez Tijani, a Social Democratic Party (SDP) member, had been presented as the APM chairmanship candidate for Oriire Local Government despite allegedly not participating in the party’s primary election.
The controversy has put the party’s internal process under scrutiny, with supporters of Hon. Ojetunde Oluwole Sunday JP maintaining that he is the authentic candidate produced by the APM primary.
In a statement signed by the party’s Primary Election Returning Official, Areo Babatunde, and sighted by Stonix News, the APM Oriire Local Government Chapter affirmed that it conducted a “valid, peaceful and transparent” primary on 3 August.
The statement said the exercise was witnessed by officials of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
These included the DSS representative, AW Omigbire; OYSIEC official, AJ Oke; and NSCDC official, DSC Dorcas Ogundipe.
The party said those who participated in the primary were registered APM members who had taken part in the party congress and whose names were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the statement, OYSIEC officials monitored the exercise and signed the relevant documents in line with the provisions of the OYSIEC law, while security personnel were also present throughout the exercise.
At the end of the primary, Ojetunde was declared the winner and emerged as the party’s chairmanship candidate for Oriire Local Government.
Ten councillorship candidates representing Wards 1 to 10 were also declared winners of the exercise.
The APM chapter subsequently called on OYSIEC, the party’s state leadership and the general public to recognise the 3 August primary as the only valid primary conducted by the chapter.
The controversy arose amid reports circulating on social media that the APM chairmanship ticket had allegedly been ceded to Tijani, who did not participate in the 3 August primary.
The reports further alleged that Tijani’s emergence was facilitated by Otunba Seye Famojuro and endorsed by Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
Stonix News could not independently verify the claims of endorsement or the circumstances surrounding Tijani’s reported emergence as of the time of filing this report.
The reported development has nevertheless generated concern among supporters of Ojetunde, particularly those who argue that a candidate produced through a recognised party primary should not be displaced through an arrangement outside the electoral process.
Youths and elders of the party in the local government are said to be disenchanted with the development, urging the leadership of the party at the state level to follow the rules of the game.
Reacting to the controversy, cheated Ojetunde described the alleged replacement of his candidacy as a “travesty of justice”.
He alleged that competing political interests were behind the development, claiming that the party had been divided between different political tendencies.
Ojetunde said he belonged to the political camp associated with Alhaji Adebisi Aremu Olopoeyan and alleged that the group had been marginalised in the distribution of political positions.
Backed with pictorial and documentary evidences of his emergence during the primary, Ojetunde appealed to OYSIEC and other relevant stakeholders including Governor Makinde to uphold the outcome of the 3 August primary.
“I am the only original APM candidate for executive chairman, Oriire Local Government, by INEC law and OYSIEC law 2026,” he said.
The unfolding dispute comes as political parties in Oyo State intensify preparations for the forthcoming local government elections.
With competing claims now surrounding the APM ticket in Oriire, attention is expected to shift to the electoral authorities and the party leadership to determine which candidate meets the applicable nomination and electoral requirements.
