Ekiti guber: No room for imposition — APC Scribe tells Kayode Ojo, other aspirants

By Idowu Adebomi, Ado Ekiti

The Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Garba Arogundade, has cautioned party aspirants, including prominent gubernatorial hopeful Kayode Ojo, that they cannot impose themselves on the APC’s internal system.

Arogundade made the statement over the weekend in Ado-Ekiti as preparations intensify for the party’s gubernatorial primary election scheduled for October 27.

Speaking with journalists during the inauguration of the New Broom Movement, a pro-democracy group within the APC, Arogundade stressed that while neither the party leadership nor incumbency could bar any aspirant from entering the race ahead of the 2026 governorship election, the APC had established a structure to determine its preferred candidate.

His comments follow the circulation of a video in which Governor Biodun Oyebanji warned cabinet members and local government chairmen against entertaining Ojo and other contenders, alleging that they had failed to contribute to the party’s growth and development.

Arogundade said: “Primaries are an internal matter of the party. Whenever there is competition for power or influence, these things occur. It is not unusual.

“If you recall 2013, or even our most recent primary, you would see similar tensions. This is part of the democratic process. It is a cycle that comes every four years, but afterwards, we reconcile and move forward as one party.

“You cannot stop people from contesting; everybody has the right to do so. However, the party has its own framework. We know those who align with our plans and vision. Sometimes we adopt a consensus arrangement. That does not exclude others from running; it simply indicates the party’s choice.

“If anyone insists on going against that, it will not alter the party’s decision. At the end of the day, it is the party that conducts the election.

“So if we say we prefer Candidate A and Candidate B declares, ‘It must be me,’ that does not disrupt the system we have in place. The process is established and guides our decisions. Nobody can force themselves on it,” he stated.