Group Warns APC Over Oyo North Senate Ticket

Group Warns APC Over Oyo North Senate Ticket

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

New Age Transformative Leadership for Good Governance in Nigeria has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to review its decision on the Oyo North Senatorial ticket, warning that the party risks electoral setbacks if it ignores concerns raised by stakeholders.

At an emergency national press conference in Abuja, the national chairman of the organisation, Dr AK Peters, described the emergence of Mrs Hannah Ogunesan as the APC’s senatorial candidate for Oyo North as a “strategic political error” that could undermine the party’s chances in the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the group’s intervention was not an attack on the ruling party but a patriotic appeal aimed at preventing avoidable political losses.

“We are speaking as stakeholders who desire the success of the APC in 2027. Loyalty demands honesty, and we believe the current ticket could become a major liability for the party if urgent corrective steps are not taken,” he said.

Peters argued that the candidate’s previous role in the Oyo State government had allegedly left unresolved grievances among grassroots supporters, warning that voter apathy and internal divisions could weaken the party’s electoral strength in the senatorial district.

He also alleged that opposition parties could exploit controversies surrounding the candidate to challenge the APC’s anti-corruption credentials during the campaign season.

The organisation further maintained that Oyo North remains politically strategic to the APC’s overall electoral fortunes in Oyo State, stressing that a divisive candidacy could affect not only the senatorial contest but also the party’s presidential and governorship votes in the state.

The group urged the APC leadership to prioritise unity, internal reconciliation, and the selection of candidates capable of uniting party members and mobilising grassroots support ahead of the election.

Earlier, the deputy national chairman of the organisation, Dr Abubakar Muhammed Sani, said the emergency press conference was convened to address what he described as growing concerns over the conduct of party primaries across the country.

Sani said the organisation, which is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), considered it a civic responsibility to speak out whenever democratic principles appeared to be threatened.

According to him, the outcomes of recent primaries conducted by several political parties, including the APC and other major parties, have raised questions about transparency, fairness, and respect for party members’ wishes.

He expressed concern that, in many instances, the preferences of party members were allegedly overridden by the influence of political power brokers, warning that such practices could weaken democratic institutions and reduce public confidence in elections.

The deputy chairman cited reports from Oyo North Senatorial District, where he claimed that the outcome of the primary election did not reflect the voting pattern recorded across several local government areas.

He also referenced allegations surrounding the conduct of another party’s primary involving a female aspirant, saying the incident underscored broader challenges confronting women seeking elective positions in Nigeria.

Sani warned that if political parties fail to conduct transparent and credible primaries, voter apathy could worsen, and many Nigerians may begin to lose faith in the electoral process.

The organisation therefore called on political parties, electoral stakeholders and relevant authorities to strengthen internal democracy, ensure credible candidate selection processes and uphold the principles of fairness, transparency and respect for the will of party members.

It maintained that restoring confidence in party primaries remains essential to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic system ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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