Former Senator Arise Calls for Tinubu's Help Over APC Primary Dispute

A former senator from Ekiti North, Ayodele Arise, has asked President Bola Tinubu to step in regarding the argument over the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Ekiti North. He described the primary as a sham that questions democratic values.

Arise, who is an APC leader and one of the candidates in the primary election, made his appeal in a statement released in Abuja on Sunday.

The APC committee that managed the primary announced that the current senator for Ekiti North, Cyril Fasuyi, won the election.

Still, Arise and other candidates, including Dipo Bamisaye and Dare Owolabi, rejected the results. They claimed the process was rigged and not fair.

On the disputed primary, Arise mentioned that the ruling party still faces difficulties with internal democracy.

He said, “When we talk about internal democracy, it is still a very big challenge. It’s one thing for us to have a Constitution; it’s another thing for people to try to circumvent it or the guidelines for any election. That was demonstrated in no small measure when I tried to come back through the primary.

“I knew what was in the pipeline, yet I went into it to prove a point. It will be a shame if some of us pass through this country and still don’t have the voice to correct the anomalies and allow people to practise true democracy. If we don’t want it, it’s a different kettle of fish.

“I really don’t want to overbeat the experience I had during the primary because I believe Mr President and the chairman of the party are looking at all the challenges. I am sure those of us who worked and won our elections will be given our mandate in due course.”

The former senator showed trust that the appeal panel set up by the APC National Working Committee would look into his complaints and address the issues raised by unhappy candidates.

“I am not lobbying. But I have put the facts on the table, and I have presented them to those reviewing the election, and I believe we still have men of good conscience at the helm of affairs in this country who know what is right. Moving forward, we should put some guidelines in place to ensure people don’t misunderstand democracy to mean someone in power appointing people to different places.

“We want to showcase the best in our country and prove that we understand democracy. We need to know who voters want to represent them. I agree that there are so many things that have improved in the past 27 years of our electoral process. We have to give kudos to those who fine-tuned the processes.

“I believe, more than anybody else, that our President has been very proactive in terms of fixing some of these challenges, working on them and making corrections before it’s too late. So, as far as the internal democracy within parties is concerned, we still have quite a distance to cover.”

Arise also pointed out that the ongoing issues in party primaries are due to the strong influence of sitting governors. He said this often makes fair competition difficult.

He stated, “The issue of the governor’s influence is still a major problem in trying to get to the Senate, even when you are not contesting against them. The reason is that governance and political office in Nigeria have been seen as a source of wealth accumulation.

“Therefore, unseating a governor who wants to go to the Senate is a very difficult task. That’s because of the quantum of public funds he will be deploying. I don’t know how, actually, we are going to get out of this.”

The APC leader also commented on Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, calling it encouraging and reflecting the government's successes and the challenges the country faces.

“It’s a speech of encouragement to Nigerians and a reality to let us know that things just don’t happen as quickly as we expect. If you want to build a house, you will know that it doesn’t have to take six months. Some houses will take one year, depending on the challenges that come with it.

“However, in terms of laying the foundation for an enduring democracy, I think Mr President is actually doing very well to showcase some of his achievements and the things he has planned for the development of this country.”

This latest dispute adds to the growing list of conflicts after party primaries as the 2027 general elections approach. More candidates are turning to appeal panels and courts to contest results they believe are unfair.