The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has elected 27-man executives and delegates for the state and national congresses of the party in each of the 18 Local Government Areas.
The chairman and secretary of the Ward and Local Government Committee, Chief Margaret Aruruenu and Mr Smart Iheazor, said the elections monitored in the council areas were free, fair, and credible.
Iheazor, who spoke on behalf of the committee, said aggrieved members of the party should approach the Appeal Committee, which would begin sitting on Sunday.
According to him, “We went round the local governments to monitor and observe the election, and the election went very smoothly. The election was very transparent and it was also very peaceful. The feedback we received from various local governments shows that there was no incident of violence. It was peaceful, and we are happy for Ondo State.
“The delegates elected in the last election on Wednesday were the same delegates who elected the local government executives today. The election took place across all 18 local government areas of the state. The other five delegates that were elected will elect the state executives on March 3, 2026.
“The ad-hoc delegates for the local government areas were elected. These ad-hoc national delegates will attend the national convention to elect the national officers of the party. The national convention is scheduled for March 27 to 28, 2026, in Abuja, where the national party officers will be elected.”
Iheazor said a total of 27 positions were contested in each of the local government areas. The elected officials at the local government level would pilot the affairs of the party in all 18 local government areas of the state.
Some chieftains of the party, who spoke with journalists during the congress election, described it as free, fair, and credible. The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. Seun Osamaye, who is from Ifedore Local Government Area, said they had consensus candidates.
She said that those whom they had earlier adopted as their candidates in their meetings were openly elected into the positions. According to her, all the candidates were acceptable to members of the party in the local government.
The chairman of Akure South Local Government Area, Dr. Gbenga Fasua, said the election was rancour-free, noting that members comported themselves peacefully.
Fasua said, “When we are talking about the re-registration that we began some weeks back, of course, that’s widely successful, and of course, it’s giving credence to what we are doing presently about the congress. We received the delegation from the party’s national secretariat, and of course, so far it’s been fair, and the turnout is huge. We could attribute this to being highly successful from my own end here in Akure South Local Government.”
In his comment on the election, Pastor Olumide Obadele, the Director General, Progressive Network for Tinubu in the state, described the exercise as good in Ikare, Akoko Northeast Local Government Area of the state.
He said: “It was a smooth exercise. We had a good time and all the executives of the local government were elected without any problem. The congress was held at the local government headquarters in Ikare. All our aspirants obtained their forms. They have their receipts, they have their tellers, and they have their forms, which I think is good enough, and that is what the party requires from anybody who wants to contest.”
