By our Reporter
Ondo State women on Monday including youths and members of the women’s wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state staged a protest against the list of National Assembly candidates released by the party’s leadership.
The protesters, who expressed dissatisfaction with the list, blocked a section of the busy Ilesha/Owo Expressway for several hours, disrupting vehicular movement and leaving commuters stranded.
Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, including “Respect the Will of Party Members”, “No to Candidate Substitution”, “Restore Our Mandates”, “Justice for APC Aspirants” and “NWC, Reverse the List Now”, the protesters called on the APC leadership to withdraw the controversial list and restore what they described as the authentic candidates.
The demonstrators, who converged on the highway in large numbers, chanted solidarity songs and accused the party leadership of disregarding the wishes of members by replacing candidates who had allegedly won the primaries.
They alleged that the released list did not reflect the outcome of the party’s primary elections and demanded that the National Working Committee reverse its decision.
The situation escalated when the convoy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was returning from Osogbo, was temporarily halted by the protesters.
The demonstrators insisted on airing their grievances, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards calling for justice and the restoration of what they described as the authentic winners of the primaries.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Seun Osamaye, said the demonstration was organised by women members of the APC to reject what she described as a “fake list” of National Assembly candidates circulating online.
According to her, the list did not reflect the outcome of the party’s primary elections across the state’s 203 wards. She said: “We have come out to express our displeasure with the fake list being circulated.
“We consider it fake because it does not reflect the mandate of the people. We know those we voted for and those who won the elections. What is being circulated online does not reflect the people’s mandate. This is a peaceful protest.
“We say no to mago-mago appeal, no to fake appeal and no to corner-corner appeal. People’s votes should count.”
Osamaye expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would ensure justice prevailed, describing him as “a president for women” and a leader known for fairness and integrity.
“We know President Tinubu is a man who listens and believes in justice. What we are demanding is simple: let the people’s votes count.
“The list released does not reflect the mandate freely given by APC members across the 203 wards of Ondo State. We are here to reject injustice and demand fairness, transparency and equity,” she added.
The commissioner further called on the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to make public the basis for the appeal that allegedly informed the candidates’ list.
“The party said its decision was based on an appeal. We want everything to be transparent. Let Nigerians know the appeal that overturned the will of party members. We are demanding justice, fairness and equity because the mandate of the people must not be subverted,” she said.
Also addressing the protesters, the Ondo State APC Women Leader, Princess Oluwayemisi Iji-Ayeola, insisted that the names released did not reflect the outcome of the primary elections conducted across the state.
She said, “We are crying against injustice. We are crying against those dictating the fate of Ondo State. We had a credible election and picked our candidates across the 18 local government areas, but after waiting for almost a month, names of people who neither participated in nor contested the election were announced.
“This is a slap in the face of the APC in Ondo State and a direct affront to our leader, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, by allowing a few people to dictate candidates for the state,” she alleged.
She disclosed that they had approached the National Secretariat of the party and said: “Our state chairman, Honourable Kolawole, has been to the National Secretariat several times to explain our position, but nothing has changed.
“We have the authentic results from the ward, local government and state levels in our archive. We are calling on the Federal Government to prevail on the National Secretariat to discard the doctored results and release the genuine outcome of the primaries. We want the candidates chosen by party members, not candidates imposed on us.”
The APC women leader warned that failure to address their grievances could trigger further protests, saying: “We sincerely hope the right thing is done because we are demanding justice. The National Secretariat should release the authentic results and allow the mandate of party members to prevail,” she said.
