Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from Ibadan North West and Ibadan South West local government areas staged a protest in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday, May 16, 2026, over claims that some party members were shut out of the ongoing House of Representatives primary election process.
The protesters gathered at the party secretariat and accused those handling the exercise of preventing many members from taking part in the primaries. According to the aggrieved members, the process in several wards did not follow an open and fair procedure as expected.
They alleged that in Wards 1 to 12 of Ibadan South West, selected individuals were allegedly taken to another location where they signed documents on behalf of others. The protesters claimed that about 10 persons were picked from each ward for the exercise instead of allowing wider participation by party members.
A similar complaint was also raised in Ibadan North West, where the protesters said another group of selected individuals was reportedly asked to sign documents without a proper voting process taking place. They argued that the development created doubts about the credibility of the primaries and accused some party figures of trying to favour certain aspirants.
The protesting members maintained that the process should allow equal participation for all qualified party members rather than limiting involvement to selected individuals. They said the alleged arrangement was against the principles of fairness expected in internal party elections.
Reacting to the complaints, Chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee in Oyo State, Mojeed Alabi, said disagreements and protests are common during elections and party primaries. He advised members who are unhappy with the conduct of the exercise to submit formal complaints to the party’s appeal committee after the primaries.
He added that the appeal committee would review all petitions and handle issues raised by party members after the completion of the exercise.