Ondo APC Crisis Deepens As Aiyedatiwa, Tunji-Ojo Camps Clash Over Party Control And 2027 Elections

By Reloaded News Political Desk

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State is facing renewed internal tensions over the control of party structures, disputed National Assembly nominations and allegations that some party figures are supporting candidates contesting against the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

At the centre of the dispute are Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, two influential figures whose supporters have been accused of deepening divisions within the state chapter.

The disagreement has moved beyond private political consultations. APC elders have publicly appealed to both camps to avoid actions capable of weakening the party, while some National Assembly candidates have raised concerns about the management of election resources and the alleged involvement of party officials in opposition campaigns.

The governor has denied engaging in anti-party activities, describing accusations against him as politically motivated.

The emerging picture is one of a party attempting to maintain a common front for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while struggling to resolve competing interests within its state organisation.

Elders intervene as rivalry between political camps intensifies

On October 1, the Ondo APC Elders Forum appealed to supporters of Aiyedatiwa and Tunji-Ojo to avoid conduct that could deepen divisions within the party.

The forum’s chairman, Demola Ijabiyi, acknowledged concerns about the relationship between the two political leaders but maintained that their separate political structures could work towards the same objective of securing support for Tinubu in 2027.

He warned against unhealthy rivalry and urged supporters not to express loyalty to one leader through hostility towards the other.

The intervention is significant because it shows that concerns about the relationship between the two camps have become sufficiently prominent to warrant a public appeal for restraint.

The elders also recognised Aiyedatiwa as the APC leader in Ondo State while acknowledging Tunji-Ojo’s influence as a federal minister and prominent political figure.

Their position was that the two centres of influence should complement each other rather than compete.

However, the appeal did not resolve the underlying questions about control of party structures, the management of political support groups and the selection of candidates for the next general election.

Disputed primaries deepen the disagreement

The tensions intensified following the APC’s National Assembly primaries, which generated complaints from aspirants and disagreements over the candidates recognised by the party’s national leadership.

In May, a group identifying itself as Ondo State APC Concern petitioned the party’s national leadership over the conduct of the primaries, alleging manipulation of results, interference and disruptions at collation venues.

The group claimed that results from several constituencies remained unresolved after proceedings were disrupted and some aspirants subsequently challenged the party’s decisions in court, creating another front in the dispute.

The disagreements have left the state chapter managing two competing demands: the need to enforce the national leadership’s decisions on recognised candidates and the need to address grievances among aspirants who believe the primaries were improperly conducted.

For a party preparing for a general election, unresolved nomination disputes can have consequences beyond the individuals who lose tickets. They can affect relationships between candidates, party officials, political appointees and local mobilisation networks.

Allegations of anti-party activities raise the stakes

A more serious dimension emerged in September when some APC National Assembly candidates reportedly raised concerns about an alleged committee established to manage election funds expected from the party’s national headquarters.

The candidates alleged that the proposed arrangement could place control of campaign resources in the hands of people close to the governor and create doubts about whether all recognised APC candidates would receive adequate support.

The governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Engagement, Steve Olatoro, denied that such a committee existed, describing the report as an attempt by political opponents to create divisions within the party.

Aiyedatiwa has also denied directing unsuccessful APC aspirants to contest against the party’s candidates on the platforms of other political parties.

The allegations are serious because election resources and campaign coordination are central to the party’s preparations.

National leadership moves to bypass state structures

The dispute has taken on greater significance following reports that the APC national leadership directed candidates in selected states, including Ondo, to obtain polling-agent forms through a process that bypasses the usual state-level arrangement.

Under the reported procedure, candidates were instructed to submit their proposed agents’ names directly through the national party structure rather than rely exclusively on the state organisation.

An APC candidate from Ondo confirmed that the directive applied to the state.

The reported change has been linked to concerns that grievances arising from the primaries could lead some politicians to support opposition candidates while remaining connected to APC structures.

The decision to exercise greater central control over polling-agent arrangements raises questions about the national leadership’s confidence in the party’s state-level coordination.

Polling agents play an important role in observing voting and counting at polling units. Their recruitment and deployment are therefore not merely administrative matters; they are part of the machinery through which parties organise and monitor elections.

If the arrangement is intended to address isolated disputes, its impact may be limited. If it becomes a wider policy, it could significantly alter the relationship between the APC national leadership and governors who traditionally exercise considerable influence over party structures in their states.

The political contest extends beyond 2027

The rivalry between Aiyedatiwa and Tunji-Ojo is also being discussed against the background of political calculations surrounding Ondo’s 2028 governorship election.

Aiyedatiwa succeeded the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in 2023 and subsequently won the 2024 governorship election in his own right.

The question of who will control the APC’s structures and influence the emergence of future candidates has therefore become relevant to the state’s longer-term political calculations.

The national leadership also has an interest in maintaining relationships with influential politicians who can mobilise support for Tinubu. At the same time, the party must ensure that its recognised candidates are not undermined by competing political arrangements.

Those objectives can coexist, but they require clear rules and consistent enforcement.

What is at stake for the APC?

The Ondo dispute exposes a problem facing political parties when the interests of national leaders, state governors, ministers and unsuccessful aspirants begin to diverge.

The national leadership needs a coordinated campaign. Governors want influence over their state organisations. Ministers and other political figures may have their own support networks, while unsuccessful aspirants must decide whether to accept the outcome of party primaries or continue pursuing their political ambitions elsewhere.

When those interests are not reconciled, disagreements can move from private meetings into disputes over candidate recognition, campaign resources and the authority to direct party members.

The public intervention by the Ondo APC elders suggests that the party’s leadership recognises the need to prevent rivalry between the two camps from undermining its preparations.

But appeals for unity will have limited effect if the disputes over nominations, campaign responsibilities and allegations of anti-party activities remain unresolved.

The immediate task is to establish the facts behind the accusations, provide a fair process for addressing grievances and clarify the respective responsibilities of the state and national party structures.

The APC national leadership must also ensure that its decisions are applied consistently, without treating allegations against one political camp as proven while dismissing complaints from another without investigation.

The road to 2027

For now, the available evidence establishes that the Ondo APC is dealing with serious internal disagreements, public calls for reconciliation and allegations that some party figures may be supporting candidates outside the party.

It does not establish that Aiyedatiwa has sponsored opposition candidates or that Tunji-Ojo is directing a campaign against the governor. Neither allegation should be presented as fact without supporting evidence.

What is clear is that the party’s recognised candidates, political appointees and influential stakeholders need a workable arrangement for the coming elections.

If those issues remain unresolved, the party risks carrying its internal disputes into the election campaign. If they are addressed through transparent procedures and credible reconciliation, the different political networks may still be able to work towards a common objective.

The coming months will reveal whether the party’s internal mechanisms can contain the disagreement or whether the struggle over its political machinery will continue to overshadow its preparations for 2027.

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