The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has dismissed speculations that the party had adopted consensus candidates ahead of the 2027 National Assembly primary elections, insisting that all aspirants are being given a level playing field to pursue their ambitions.
The Ekiti State APC Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, stated this while speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Thursday, stressing that the ruling party remained committed to internal democracy and transparent electoral processes starting from Friday’s House of Representatives primaries.
Dipe said the party had not taken any official position regarding the candidacy of any aspirant, adding that although individuals were free to endorse their preferred aspirants, such endorsements did not amount to party adoption.
According to him, “The APC has not taken any position regarding candidacy. We are a party with democratic tenets and we believe in democracy. People have the right to endorse whoever they prefer, but that does not translate into the party imposing candidates.
“Anybody who is a politician cannot be neutral. People will naturally express support for one aspirant or another, but you don’t have to be desperate about it. What is important is that the party allows a level playing field, and that is exactly what we are doing.”
The party spokesman described the recent screening exercise for aspirants in Abuja as one of the cleanest and fairest processes conducted by the party, noting that he was not aware of any aspirant who was disqualified.
He said the development reflected the absence of pressure from the party leadership or the state governor on the aspirations of any contender.
“I was at the screening and I can say it was one of the cleanest and fairest. To my knowledge, nobody was disqualified. That shows there is no pressure from our party or from the governor concerning anyone’s aspiration,” he said.
Dipe further explained that the APC leadership in the state was focused on maintaining unity ahead of future elections, particularly its target of delivering massive votes for the party in the 20 June governorship poll in the state.
“We are conscious of what lies ahead and we will not allow anything to affect our search for 500,000 votes for the party in the governorship election; that is not something easy to achieve.
“We need a united family and we will ensure that the conduct of the National Assembly primaries does not divide the party,” he added.
The APC spokesman also defended Governor Biodun Oyebanji against allegations of backing preferred aspirants, insisting that the governor had consistently maintained neutrality and fairness among all contenders.
“Mr Governor has never instructed me or anyone to announce preferred candidates. In fact, he keeps telling aspirants that if one person claims the governor supports him, others can say the same because he belongs to everybody. No aspirant has complained to the governor without receiving attention,” Dipe stated.
He acknowledged that rumours, propaganda and counter-claims were common features of political contests, but assured party members that the APC would emerge stronger and united after the process.
“In every political season, there will be rumours, half-truths and counter-rumours. At the end of the day, we will have our candidates and our home will remain intact. Democracy is still thriving in the APC,” he said.
