A fresh legal battle has erupted within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, casting a long shadow over the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections and exposing deep fissures in its internal democracy.
Several aspirants widely regarded as loyal to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa have dragged the party, the Independent National Electoral Commission and some of the eventual candidates before the Federal High Court in Abuja. At the heart of the suits is the APC’s decision to conduct direct primaries for the National Assembly elections scheduled for May 16, 2026, and the subsequent transmission of names that, according to the plaintiffs, did not emerge from those primaries.
Sources within the party hierarchy claim that many of the aggrieved aspirants received financial support for their nomination forms from the governor’s political camp. The litigation, therefore, is not merely a technical challenge to procedure; it is widely seen as a proxy contest for influence between the governor’s emerging political structure and the party’s national and state leadership.
In an attempt to calm frayed nerves, Governor Aiyedatiwa has directed the state APC Chairman, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, to inaugurate a reconciliation committee. The panel, to be headed by the Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Prince Biyi Poroye, has been mandated to mediate between the disaffected members and the party leadership. Whether the committee can reverse the slide into open confrontation remains uncertain, given that some of the aspirants have already chosen the judicial route.
One of the most closely watched cases is Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1538/2026 filed on July 15, 2026 by Pastor Akingboye Akinleke David. The plaintiff is challenging the emergence of Hon. Donald Ojogo as the APC candidate for the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency.
The defendants are the All Progressives Congress, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Ojogo himself. Leading the plaintiff’s legal team is the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Remi Peter Olatubora.
Akingboye is asking the court to determine whether the APC can lawfully forward to INEC the name of a candidate who did not secure the highest number of votes at the direct primary, and whether INEC can validly accept such a nomination under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2026 and the party’s own guidelines. He seeks a declaration that only the aspirant with the highest votes at the primary is entitled to stand as the party’s flagbearer.
When contacted, Ojogo declined to comment, citing the pendency of the matter in court. A senior party chieftain, however, insisted that the National Working Committee acted on the report of the party’s appeal committee after carefully considering petitions from aggrieved aspirants. The same source acknowledged that there had been complaints of irregularities allegedly involving some supporters of the governor and members of the primary election committee.
The absence of a fixed hearing date at the Federal High Court in Abuja has done little to reduce tension in Ondo political circles. Party stakeholders are watching closely to see whether the courts will uphold the primacy of the direct primary results or affirm the NWC’s power to intervene in the interest of equity and party cohesion.
The development adds another layer of complexity to an already delicate political landscape in Ondo State. Governor Aiyedatiwa, who assumed office after the death of his predecessor, has been working to consolidate his influence within the APC ahead of the next electoral cycle. The decision by some of his perceived loyalists to seek judicial redress suggests that the consensus-building efforts earlier attempted by the governor’s camp have not fully succeeded.
Observers note that the adoption of direct primaries was intended to broaden participation and reduce the influence of money and godfatherism. Ironically, the current litigation threatens to undermine public confidence in that very process. If the courts eventually rule that the party cannot substitute a candidate who did not win the primary, the precedent could reverberate beyond Ondo and force a rethink of internal candidate selection across the country.
For now, the reconciliation committee led by Prince Poroye remains the party’s preferred non-judicial pathway to peace. Yet with suits already filed and tempers still high, the coming weeks will test the APC’s capacity to manage internal dissent without further damaging its electoral prospects in a state that has traditionally been a stronghold of the party.
The outcome of these cases will not only determine the fate of individual aspirants but may also shape the balance of power within the Ondo APC as the 2027 elections draw nearer.
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