Tension flared at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday as party members from Ekiti State staged a protest against the disqualification of Kayode Ojo from the forthcoming governorship primary election.
The protesters, mostly women, stormed the secretariat in the morning, chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards to express their displeasure with the party’s decision. Some of the placards read: “We Say No to Kayode Ojo’s Disqualification,” “We Don’t Want Consensus,” “Ekiti Women Reject BAO,” and “APC Must Let Ekiti People Choose Their Candidate.”
The demonstration followed the recent decision of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), which disqualified Ojo from participating in the October 27 primary election in Ekiti State. The move effectively cleared the path for the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to emerge as the party’s consensus candidate.
Chanting slogans such as “Ekiti Says No to Governor Biodun Oyebanji,” “No to Consensus,” and “Yes to Kayode Ojo,” the protesters accused the party leadership of undermining internal democracy and attempting to impose a candidate on the people.
One of the protesters, who identified herself as Mrs. Funke Adebayo, said the disqualification of Ojo was “a calculated attempt to silence the will of Ekiti people.” She added that the group would continue to resist any form of imposition within the party.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the Ekiti State governorship election for July 20, 2026, and the APC primary is seen as a major test of the party’s internal cohesion ahead of the poll.
As of the time of filing this report, party officials were yet to address the protesters, while security personnel maintained a heavy presence around the APC Secretariat to prevent a breakdown of order.
