Tension is rising inside the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress after multiple aspirants openly rejected the outcome of the party’s House of Representatives and senatorial primaries, alleging widespread irregularities, intimidation, and attempts to impose candidates.

What began as internal party disagreements has now exposed deeper fractures within the APC in Ondo, with accusations ranging from result falsification to armed intimidation during the primary process.

On Saturday, the APC conducted its House of Representatives primary election in Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, where party officials declared Kayode Ijalana winner with 7,098 votes, while fellow aspirant Ghani Arobo secured 75 votes.

However, Arobo’s campaign organisation immediately rejected the result, describing the exercise as a “sham deliberately cooked up to subvert the sovereign will of the people.”

In a statement signed by the Director-General of the Ghani Rotimi Arobo Campaign Organisation, Ayo Ilevare, the group alleged that the results announced by party officials did not reflect what occurred during voting.

“The so-called results that have been paraded represent nothing but a sham deliberately cooked up to subvert the sovereign will of the people,” the statement said.

“We reject it in its entirety, as it is not democracy but an assault on the democratic process.”

The campaign further claimed that its agents monitored polling centres across the constituency and insisted Arobo recorded what it described as a “landslide victory.”

“No amount of manipulation, result-falsification, or backroom deals will be allowed to truncate or annul that sacred mandate,” the group added.

According to Adu, some supporters and voters were allegedly intimidated by armed men who insisted that only preferred “consensus candidates” should emerge victorious.

“The atmosphere was characterised by fear, coercion and suppression,” Adu said during the exercise.

“We saw young men brandishing guns and threatening that for the three of us contesting, there is only one person they want anybody to vote for.”

Yet the deeper issue emerging from the controversy is the growing perception among some APC stakeholders that internal democracy within the party is weakening ahead of the 2027 political cycle.

Several reports from national newspapers, pointed to rising tension within the Ondo APC over candidate selection processes, delayed primary results, and claims that certain aspirants enjoyed unofficial backing from powerful interests within the state structure.

That framing leaves out an important political reality: primary elections are increasingly becoming major tests of party unity in Nigeria, especially in states where political control remains highly contested.

Ondo State has historically witnessed internal party rivalries that later affected general election performance. Political analysts note that unresolved grievances from party primaries often create parallel structures, weaken grassroots mobilisation, and fuel post-primary defections.

Nigeria has seen similar patterns before.

Ahead of the 2019 and 2023 elections, disputes arising from APC primaries in several states — including Zamfara, Rivers, and Ogun — led to prolonged legal battles, factional crises, and electoral setbacks.

What makes the Ondo situation more sensitive is the timing.

With preparations for future elections already intensifying, prolonged internal disputes could affect the APC’s ability to maintain cohesion in one of the South-West’s politically strategic states.

Economic realities may also indirectly shape voter reactions.

As inflation, unemployment, and rising living costs continue to pressure households across Nigeria, political observers say grassroots voters are becoming increasingly resistant to perceived elite imposition and internal party arrangements that appear disconnected from local demands.

Adu hinted at this growing frustration when he warned that candidates allegedly imposed on party members could struggle during future elections.

“For those he elected by force, they can’t win an election in Ondo State for APC,” he said.

“It’s not possible.”

Beyond the official statements, no independent electoral authority has publicly verified allegations of result manipulation or armed interference during the primaries.

Still, the volume of complaints emerging from multiple constituencies suggests the APC leadership may face increasing pressure to address concerns from dissatisfied aspirants before divisions deepen further.