Tension Rocks APC Reps Primary in Ondo as Thugs Disrupt Result Declaration
By Olusegun HOSEA, Akure
Akure, Ondo State – What began as a routine declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary results in Ondo State on Sunday evening descended into chaos when armed political thugs stormed the party secretariat, forcing committee members, journalists, and party officials to flee.
The National Assembly Election Committee had returned to the APC State Secretariat around 7:00pm to announce results from six remaining federal constituencies, including Akoko Northeast/Northwest, Akoko Southwest/Southeast, Owo/Ose, Idanre/Ifedore, Ilaje/Ese-Odo, and Odigbo/Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo.
Earlier, three winners had already been announced: Hon. Omowunmi Olatunji (Akure South/Akure North) with 9,237 votes; Dr. Olumuyiwa Daramola (Okitipupa/Irele) with 6,547 votes; and incumbent Dr. Abiola Makinde (Ondo East/Ondo West) with 10,847 votes.
Chaos erupted when a disqualified aspirant from Idanre, allegedly backed by a group of thugs, stormed the venue to halt the process. Reports indicate that the aspirant handed the State Chairman, Hon. Babatunde Kolawole, a phone call from a powerful female commissioner in the state, who purportedly instructed the party leadership to stop the announcement until issues regarding un-cleared aspirants from Owo/Ose and Idanre/Ifedore were resolved.
As tensions escalated, security personnel proved unable to contain the crowd, prompting the committee members, journalists, and other officials to evacuate the venue for their safety. Witnesses at the scene described the situation as “tense and dangerous,” with some narrowly avoiding physical harm.
By the time of filing this report, the APC has not officially released the results for the six remaining federal constituencies. The state party leadership has directed aggrieved aspirants to submit petitions through the proper channels, signaling that the matter is far from over.
