No one is bigger than APC, Ondo elders tell aggrieved aspirants

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Forum in Ondo State has told aggrieved members protesting the party’s candidates’ list to accept the decision of the National Working Committee, warning that public demonstrations cannot change the outcome.

The elders said the NWC’s decision on the candidates’ list must be respected by all members of the party, regardless of personal disappointment or sectional interests.

This followed protests by some APC women in Akure, the Ondo State capital, over the list of candidates released by the national leadership of the party.

The protesters alleged that some of the names on the list did not win the House of Representatives primaries held last month.

But addressing journalists in Akure on Wednesday, Chairman of the APC Elders Forum in the state, Demola Ijabiyi, said the elders fully backed the decision of the national secretariat.

According to him, the development showed that the APC remained a party guided by its constitution, rules and transparent processes, not personal ambition or political pressure.

Ijabiyi said the primaries conducted in Ondo State last month were not free and fair, describing them as a product of imposition.

He said there was no need for any protest over the NWC’s decision, insisting that party supremacy must prevail.

“We have consistently cautioned against every form of candidate imposition within our party in Ondo State,” he said.

“We maintained, at every opportunity, that the wishes of party members, the integrity of the nomination process, and the supremacy of the party must never be sacrificed on the altar of personal ambition or political expediency.”

The APC elder said those protesting should accept the decision of the national leadership with dignity.

He argued that their grievances were built on primary election results that were not authentic or sustainable.

“We understand the disappointment and frustration of those members and their supporters whose hopes were built on primary election results that were neither authentic nor sustainable,” Ijabiyi said.

“However, they owe it to themselves to accept the decision of our national leadership with dignity and without further agitation.

“No amount of public protest can convert defeat into victory where no legitimate mandate was won in the first place.”

Ijabiyi warned that continued protests and defiance could amount to indiscipline and place those involved against the values and constitutional principles of the APC.

He said decisions taken by the party leadership are binding on all members.

“The decisions of the party’s leadership are binding on all members, and the supremacy of the party must prevail over personal ambition or sectional interests,” he said.

“Continued protests and acts of defiance can only amount to indiscipline and risk placing those involved at variance with the party’s core values and constitutional principles.”

He urged the aggrieved members to submit to the authority of the party and channel their energy towards strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ijabiyi said the decision of the NWC had sent a clear message that no individual, no matter how highly placed, is greater than the party.

“This development sends a clear message that the APC remains the final authority on party nominations and that no individual, regardless of position, is greater than the party,” he said.

The elders also pledged to mobilise support across Ondo State for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Ijabiyi said the forum would continue to promote reconciliation among members and defend the democratic ideals upon which the party was founded.

He called on leaders, elected officials, aspirants and stakeholders to close ranks, avoid divisive politics and work together in the interest of the APC and the people of Ondo State.

The statement signals a tough push by Ondo APC elders to end the post-primary crisis and rally the party behind the NWC’s candidates’ list ahead of the 2027 polls.