The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Odigbo/Ileoluju/Okeigbo federal constituency in Ondo State on Wednesday trooped out en masse to reject the replacement of Chief Matthew Oyerinmade MATO, who won the primary of the party with the name of the federal lawmaker representing the area, Hon Festus Adefiranye.
The protesting party’s women and youths who converged on Ore, the headquarters of the federal constituency, described the action of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party on MATO’s ticket as unjust, anti-democratic and capable of causing serious division in the party, which can lead to its failure in the general elections in the area.
Two of the APC Chieftains who spoke during the protest said the replacement of the name of Oyerinmade with Adefiranye can lead to a protest vote against the party if not reversed by the national leaders of the APC.
Addressing the protesters in Ore, a Chieftain of the party and youth leader in the federal constituency, Comrade Shola Adegbola, appealed to the APC NWC to consider the unprecedented popularity of Chief Oyerinmade in the area, warning that replacing his name in the candidate list could cause a negative outcome for the party.
Adegbola said, “The demand is for the mandate freely given by the people, by All Progressives Congress members, to be restored. We freely gave our mandate to Hon. Matthew Oyerinmade, popularly known as MATO, as our House of Reps Candidate. And the truth of the matter is this: On that very eventful day, all the faithful party members came out en masse and voted for Matthew Oyerinmade.
“But to our greatest surprise, the information reaching us now is that the mandate given to Hon. MATO has been taken away and given to someone else.
“We, the party members, are not in agreement with that. That is the reason we are staging this peaceful protest to tell the national leadership of our party that the person we freely gave our mandate to should be restored. That is exactly what we want.”
Another APC Youth leader, Oluwadamilare Ojetayo, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to compel the NWC to reverse the injustice in the interest of the party.
Ojetayo said, “I want to thank the members of our great party who are here today. As you can see, politics is beyond individuals. The voice of the people cannot be ignored. That is why the majority of the party members are here today.
“Our members voted for MATO during the primary election. This election cannot be manipulated. We have leaders in this party, and in this case, we expect them to ensure justice and fairness for all the people. We will not accept this situation.
“What we are asking is for the national leadership of the party to do the needful. Equity, justice and fairness should prevail. They should return the people’s mandate. I also appeal to the President (Bola Ahmed Tinubu).
“As the leader of the party and a man of integrity, we are appealing to him to come to the aid of our state. We do not want the state to be thrown into crisis. I am hopeful that the national leadership of the party will do the needful. I would like to thank my people for their commitment and support.”
The protest followed the changing of the names of those who had earlier won the party’s primaries in the state. For the Senate, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN) replaced Dr Taiwo Fasoranti as the APC candidate for Ondo Central Senatorial District, while Senator Olajide Ipinsagba emerged in place of Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye for Ondo North Senatorial District.
“The Ondo South Senatorial ticket was unaffected by the review, with Hon. Isaacs Kekemeke as candidate.
In the House of Representatives, Hon. Donald K. Ojogo replaced Mr Akingboye Leke for Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency, while Hon. Festus Olarewaju Akingbaso displaced Hon. Rasaq Obe in Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency.
The NWC also substituted Hon. Kayode Adejana with Hon. Dr Oluwatimehin Adelegbe for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency and replaced Hon. Olumuyiwa Daramola with Hon. Okunjimi John Odimayo for Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.
Similarly, Dr Abiola Makinde lost the APC ticket for Ondo East/Ondo West Federal Constituency to Hon. Dr Michael Olajide Akintomide, while Oyerinmade Matthew MATO was replaced by Hon. Festus Adefiranye as the party’s candidate for Ile Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency.
