Ondo APC Elders Back Candidates List, Urge Aggrieved Members to Sheath Sword
The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Forum has urged aggrieved party members to accept the candidates list released by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and refrain from further protests.
The appeal followed demonstrations held on Monday in Akure by some women members of the party, who rejected the list, alleging that several candidates named by the NWC did not emerge victorious in the House of Representatives primary elections conducted last month.
Addressing journalists in Akure on Wednesday, Chairman of the APC Elders Forum in Ondo State, Demola Ijabiyi, said the elders fully supported the NWC’s decision, describing it as a demonstration of the party’s commitment to its constitution, internal rules and due process.
Ijabiyi, however, criticised the conduct of the party’s primary elections in the state, alleging that the exercise was neither free nor fair and amounted to the imposition of candidates.
Despite those concerns, he maintained that the decision of the party’s national leadership remained final and should be respected by all members.
According to him, no amount of public protest could overturn a decision where there was no legitimate mandate, urging dissatisfied members to accept the outcome with dignity.
He warned that continued demonstrations and acts of defiance could amount to indiscipline and undermine the party’s constitutional principles.
Ijabiyi stressed that the supremacy of the party must take precedence over individual ambitions or sectional interests, adding that the APC remained the final authority on the nomination of its candidates.
He also called on party leaders, elected officials, aspirants and other stakeholders to set aside their differences and work together to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general election.
The APC elders’ chairman said the forum would continue to promote reconciliation among party members while mobilising support across Ondo State for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates in the next general election.
