Members of the All Progressives Congress from Ekiti State on Friday stormed the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja to protest the removal of Kayode Ojo from the list of aspirants cleared for the forthcoming governorship primary.
The protest began early in the morning as aggrieved members, mostly women, gathered at the gate of the APC headquarters carrying placards and chanting songs rejecting the decision of the party’s leadership.They accused the party’s National Working Committee of deliberately excluding Ojo from the October 27 primary election to pave the way for the state governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to return as a consensus candidate.
Many of the protesters carried placards with inscriptions expressing their anger and rejection of what they described as an attempt to deny Ekiti people the right to freely choose their preferred candidate.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier fixed the Ekiti State governorship election for July 20, 2026, and the ruling APC had been preparing for its primary.
However, the party’s decision to disqualify Ojo has stirred growing resentment among supporters who believe the process is being manipulated in favour of the incumbent.
The protesters urged the party leadership to reverse the disqualification and ensure that the forthcoming primary is transparent and open to all eligible aspirants.
As of the time of filing this report, security operatives were seen around the secretariat to prevent the protest from turning violent, while party officials were yet to issue an official response.