…No Reason to Dissolve Our Exco — Ondo APC; We Are Not Aware — Benue APC
By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja, Damilola Orgbemisuyi, Akure, and Aza Msue, Makurdi
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is considering the dissolution of the party’s executive committees in Benue and Ondo states following concerns over alleged anti-party activities.
The prospect of dissolving the Benue and Ondo APC executives followed reports of growing disagreements between the party leadership and the governors of Benue and Ondo states, Hyacinth Alia and Lucky Aiyedatiwa, respectively, after some aspirants believed to be backed by the governors lost the APC’s National Assembly primaries.
Sources within the party told LEADERSHIP that the move was being considered as part of efforts to reposition the two state chapters and prevent internal divisions and alleged disloyalty from undermining the party’s chances in the elections.
However, while the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, did not pick calls or reply to text messages sent to him on the matter, the Benue State chapter of the APC said it was not aware of any plans to dissolve its leadership. Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, did not answer or return calls put through to his phone on the matter.
But the Ondo State chapter of the APC told LEADERSHIP that there was no reason to dissolve its leadership, just as the state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, said he was not aware of any plan by the APC national leadership to dissolve the state executive committee.
The APC in Ondo and Benue states has experienced a lot of internal strife. Governors Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) and Alia (Benue) have been locked in political battles with federal lawmakers from their respective states.
Although Governor Aiyedatiwa recently called for unity and urged party members to vote for the party’s candidates at an enlarged APC Elders Council meeting, sources said some of his loyalists were still opposed to supporting certain APC National Assembly candidates.
This development was reflected in a Facebook post by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Signage and Advertisement, Yomi Oyekan, on Tuesday, in which he said candidates who emerged from the APC primaries should rely on their own political strength to win the general elections.
He wrote: “ONDO POLITICS: Funny how you want to gaslight and bully a man you don’t regard to support you for general election, shebi you’ve won primaries take your ticket to the general elections and win with capacity.”
This comes as some of Aiyedatiwa’s loyalists who lost the party’s primaries have since defected to other political parties to contest the 2027 elections. It was also learnt that neither the governor nor the APC state executive committee has strongly disclaimed the defections, fuelling allegations within the party that the governor and the party leadership may be sympathetic to the moves.
Some of his supporters, including political appointees, have also been seen identifying with the “Rainbow Coalition”, a political group associated with a faction of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Two political allies of Aiyedatiwa, Mathew Oyerinmade, popularly known as MATO, and Prince Idowu Mafimisebi, emerged as the PDP candidates for Ondo South Senatorial District and the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, respectively. This move gave fillip to allegations that Governor Aiyedatiwa and his loyalists may have dumped the APC senatorial candidate, Isaac Kekemeke, who was initially supported by the governor himself. But the governor has since denied that he has abandoned Kekemeke.
For the Ondo South Senatorial District, an ally of the governor, a Niger Delta businessman and deputy director in the APC Presidential Campaign Council, is said to be anchoring the bids of Oyerinmade and Mafimisebi for the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, against APC’s Kekemeke and Donald Ojogo for the same positions.
In Idanre/Ifedore in Ondo Central, Tajudeen Adefisoye, popularly known as Small Alhaji, who was the consensus candidate of Aiyedatiwa for the Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency but was disqualified by the APC screening committee for the primary election, has now defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as its candidate for the Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency.
This is just as there is an alleged involvement of Aiyedatiwa in the senatorial bid of Senator Ayo Akinyelure on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), especially after the governor had a closed-door meeting with the Idanre-born politician. Akinyelure is the main contender against the incumbent, Senator Niyi Adegbonmire, SAN, of the APC, who emerged as the candidate against the governor’s choice, Taiwo Fasoranti.
A source at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, confirmed that the national leadership was monitoring developments in Ondo and Benue states.
The source said the party was particularly concerned by reports that some APC executives, as well as political appointees of Governor Aiyedatiwa, attended the political event in Okitipupa where Oyerinmade and Mafimisebi declared their intentions to contest the 2027 National Assembly elections on the platform of the PDP.
The source said: “We are monitoring the political developments in Ondo State. We are surprised that an ally of the governor, whom he nominated for the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency but lost the party primary, has now moved to the PDP to contest the Senate against our former South-West Vice-Chairman, Kekemeke, who is our party’s candidate for Ondo South.
