Hundreds of women members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State on Monday grounded activities in Akure as they protested the party’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, alleging that the list released by the party’s National Secretariat was manipulated and did not reflect the outcome of the primaries.
The angry protesters barricaded the busy Ilesha/Akure/Benin Road at Oloko Junction, causing a massive traffic gridlock that lasted for several hours.
Carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “No Mago Mago In Ondo APC” and “We Are In Support Of Governor Aiyedatiwa,” the women insisted that the names published by the party differed from those who emerged victorious during the primaries conducted across the state.
They called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and compel the APC National Secretariat to restore what they described as the authentic list submitted from Ondo State.
The protesters also warned that they would intensify their actions if their grievances were ignored.
Addressing journalists, the Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Seun Osamaye, described the published list as fake, insisting it failed to reflect the mandate freely given by party members.
“We know those we voted for. We know those who won across the 203 wards in Ondo State. The list being circulated online does not reflect the people’s mandate. That is why we are here today to reject injustice,” she said.
Osamaye maintained that the protest was peaceful but stressed that party members would not accept any attempt to substitute candidates.
“We say no to mago-mago, no to fake appeal and no to corner-corner appeal. People’s votes must count. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a leader who believes in justice and fairness, and we appeal to him to ensure that the genuine results are upheld,” she added.
Leading the demonstration, the APC State Women Leader, Princess Oluwayemisi Iji-Ayeola, accused unnamed forces of attempting to hijack the party’s democratic process.
“We are crying against injustice. We are crying against one man dictating the political future of Ondo State. We conducted a credible primary election and selected our candidates across the 18 local government areas, but surprisingly, names of people who never contested were announced,” she alleged.
According to her, the development was an affront to the leadership of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the APC structure in the state.
She disclosed that several efforts had been made to persuade the National Secretariat to correct the anomaly but yielded no positive outcome.
“Our chairman, Honourable Ababatunde Kolawole, has visited Abuja several times, but nothing has changed. We have the authentic results from the wards, local governments and the state. Those allegedly doctored results should be discarded,” she said.
Iji-Ayeola warned that the women would escalate their protest if the party failed to release what they described as the genuine list of candidates.
“If nothing is done, our next action will be more serious. Ondo State will be on fire politically if justice is not done,” she declared.
The protest also temporarily trapped the convoy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the heavy traffic.
Although the governor did not address the demonstrators, the women made way for his convoy after recognising him.
Traffic along the highway remained heavily disrupted for more than three hours before normalcy gradually returned following the end of the protest.
