By Tracy Moses
Fresh controversy has trailed the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Ekiti North Federal Constituency II seat, as a group of concerned party stakeholders has called on the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to investigate allegations of irregularities surrounding the exercise and the eligibility of one of the aspirants, Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju.
The stakeholders alleged that Olanrewaju, who serves as Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, failed to comply with the directive requiring political appointees seeking elective office in the 2027 general elections to resign from their positions on or before March 31, 2026.
The resignation directive, issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), was intended to ensure compliance with the party’s guidelines and promote transparency in the nomination process.
According to the stakeholders, Olanrewaju remained in office beyond the stipulated deadline and continued to receive salary payments despite the directive. They claimed to possess documentary evidence, including what they described as a verified May 2026 payslip, which they said raises questions about his qualification to contest the APC primary.
They further alleged that although the presidential aide publicly maintained that he had resigned from office before the primary election, the claim was inconsistent with documents in their possession.
In a statement, the stakeholders said:
“Contrary to the presidential directive, credible evidence now indicates that Hon. Olanrewaju continued to receive salary payments even beyond the stipulated resignation deadline. This raises serious legal and moral questions about his qualification to participate in the party’s primary election.”
Beyond the question of eligibility, the stakeholders challenged the conduct of the primary election, alleging that Olanrewaju neither visited the constituency nor actively canvassed for delegates before the exercise.
They also claimed that no genuine primary election took place.
“There are widespread claims that no actual primary election took place and that results were instead written in his favour. Numerous video evidences are said to exist exposing the irregularities that characterized the entire exercise,” the stakeholders alleged.
The group urged the APC leadership to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the primary election, insisting that the credibility of the party’s internal democratic process must not be compromised.
According to the statement:
“The APC cannot afford to condone actions that undermine its democratic processes. The party must thoroughly investigate these allegations, review all available evidence, and ensure that justice, fairness and transparency prevail.”
The stakeholders further argued that if the allegations are established, they would constitute a serious breach of public trust and undermine confidence in the party’s commitment to due process.
They added:
“He deceived Mr President. He deceived the Party. He deceived Ekiti people. He deceived Nigerians. And this is the man that they said the system is pushing. Where is the integrity? He who must come to equity must come with clean hands.”
The group warned that failure by the APC leadership to address the concerns could have political consequences for the party, particularly its chances of retaining the Ekiti North Federal Constituency II seat in the 2027 general elections.
The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of the APC’s nomination process ahead of the 2027 elections, with party members in several states raising concerns over compliance with internal guidelines, transparency and the conduct of primary elections.
As of the time of filing this report, Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju had not publicly responded to the allegations. The APC had also not issued an official statement on the matter, while efforts to obtain reactions from both the presidential aide and the party were unsuccessful before publication.