Primary: Ondo APC aspirant cries foul, demands Tinubu protects her victory

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: A female House of Representatives aspirant in Ondo State, Hon. Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi has called on President Bola Tinubu and the APC national leadership to protect the outcome of Saturday’s primary election in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo and Odigbo Federal Constituency.

She alleged that intimidation, disruption of voting lines and attempts to compromise results had marred an exercise in which she claims a commanding lead.

Fajemirokun-Ajayi who is contesting the constituency’s seat, said figures collated by her agents across polling units show her ahead of two other aspirants by a wide margin, with particularly strong performances in Odigbo Local Government Area — the largest voting bloc in the constituency.

According to her verified figures, Fajemirokun-Ajayi polled 4,247 votes against 1,790 for Matthew Oye Oyerinmade and 788 for Festus Adefiranye. She said she secured decisive wins across most Odigbo wards, including Agbabu, Ago-Alaye, Ajue, Araromi Obu, Ebijaw, Koseru, Odigbo, Ore I and Ore II.

But even as she trumpeted the numbers, Fajemirokun-Ajayi raised the alarm over what she described as a coordinated effort to subvert the process, pointing specifically at state officials.

“Democracy cannot survive where intimidation replaces fairness,” she said in a statement released late Saturday.

She accused those elements of disrupting voting lines, engineering the absence of electoral officials at certain centres and attempting to manipulate results — conduct she described as “a serious blemish on the image of the APC” that could damage the credibility of future party elections if left unchecked.

Fajemirokun-Ajayi called on President Tinubu and the APC leadership to intervene decisively to shield ordinary party members, women, youths and minority voices from what she termed political bullying and suppression.

“Hon. Simi therefore calls on President Tinubu and the APC national leadership to protect ordinary party members, women, youths, and minority voices from political bullying and suppression,” her statement read.

She also used the occasion to make a broader statement about gender and political space, insisting that the outcome of the primary must not be allowed to be stolen.

“Women have a place in politics. Women have a place in leadership. And the voices of the people must not be silenced,” she said.

The Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo and Odigbo constituency had earlier been flagged as a potential flashpoint during the primaries season, with reports emerging weeks ago that a preferred male candidate was being steered towards the seat through consensus arrangements — a move that had drawn resistance from aspirants and party members within the constituency.

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