APC women, youths block Aiyedatiwa’s convoy over ‘fake’ Reps list

Women and youth members of Nigeria's All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State staged a significant protest in the capital city of Akure, disrupting traffic and blocking the convoy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The demonstrators voiced strong objections to a recently released list of candidates for the House of Representatives.

“

We, the women of Ondo State who are members of the APC, have come out to express our displeasure with the fake list being circulated. We consider it fake because it does not reflect the mandate of the people. It does not reflect the votes counted across the 203 wards of Ondo State. We know those we voted for. We know those we counted that won the elections, so why does the list being circulated online not reflect the people’s mandate? That is the question we have come to ask this afternoon.

Protesters claimed the circulated list did not accurately represent the outcome of the primary elections held last month. They alleged that names of aspirants who lost the primaries appeared on the list, which they described as an attempt to impose candidates on the party. Placards carried messages such as "We don't want imposition in Ondo APC" and "Let our votes count."

“

It is a peaceful protest. We say no to ‘mago-mago’ appeal. We say no to fake appeal. We say no to corner-corner appeal. People’s votes should count. We voted massively for our candidates, and it should reflect in the list that has been pasted. But what we are seeing online does not reflect what we voted for, and that is why we have come today.

Mrs. Seun Osamaye, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, addressed the protest, calling the list "fake." She insisted it failed to reflect the mandate of party members across the state's 203 wards. Osamaye emphasized that the women were demanding transparency and fairness, urging the party leadership to respect the votes cast during the primaries and ensure the final list aligns with the people's mandate.

“

We know President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a president for women. We know he is a man who listens, a man of fair judgment, integrity, fairness and justice. So what we are saying is: let the people’s votes matter; let our votes count. We voted across the 203 wards, and what was pasted online does not reflect our mandate. That is why, as women of the APC in Ondo State, we have come out to express our concern that this injustice should not stand. It is against the spirit of fairness, transparency and voting. People’s votes are meant to matter.