Tension Erupted at the Ekiti State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Ado-Ekiti after aspirants for the State House of Assembly accused party officials of withholding nomination forms despite payment.
The development triggered hours of confrontation between the aggrieved aspirants and secretariat staff, briefly disrupting activities at the party office.
The aggrieved aspirants, who arrived at the secretariat in the morning, alleged that officials were deliberately hoarding the forms to favour anointed candidates across various constituencies.
They insisted they had paid the stipulated fees and completed all required documentation, yet were denied access to the forms. “We paid for these forms. We met every requirement. Why are they hiding them?” one aspirant told reporters at the scene.
The situation escalated as more aspirants converged on the secretariat, leading to heated exchanges with party officials.
Eyewitnesses described the atmosphere as tense, with security personnel stationed at the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Party leaders later intervened to de-escalate the crisis. After a closed-door meeting with representatives of the aspirants, senior officials at the secretariat gave assurances that nomination forms would be released to all eligible aspirants who had provided proof of payment.
The party officials also maintained that the process would be transparent and that every qualified aspirant would be allowed to participate in the primaries.
Despite the assurances, some aspirants expressed skepticism and vowed to closely monitor the process. “We will not leave anything to chance. The primaries must be free and fair,” one aspirant said.
The APC in Ekiti State is yet to issue an official statement on the incident. The party’s primaries for the State House of Assembly seats are scheduled to hold in the coming weeks as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Political observers say the incident reflects growing anxiety among aspirants over internal party democracy and candidate imposition, issues that have historically caused rifts within state chapters ahead of major elections.
