APC Primary: Reps Member Seeks Disqualification of Rival Over Alleged Electoral Act Breach

A member of the House of Representatives representing Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido-Osi Federal Constituency, Kolawole Akinlayo, has urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to enforce the provisions of Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, by disqualifying the declared winner of the party’s primary election for Ekiti North Federal Constituency II, Kunle Ibrahim.

Akinlayo made the call while addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, following his petition to the APC National Chairman and the party’s National Assembly Appeal Committee challenging the outcome of the May 16 primary election.

The lawmaker alleged that Ibrahim was ineligible to contest the primary because he was still serving as a political appointee at the time of the exercise.

According to him, Ibrahim remained a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and continued to receive salaries until May 2026, after the primary had been conducted.

He argued that Ibrahim’s participation contravened Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which states that political appointees are barred from participating in party conventions, congresses and primaries either as delegates or aspirants unless they resign their appointments.

“The purported winner is not qualified to participate in the primary election by virtue of Section 88(1), and his participation, in the eyes of the law, is a nullity ab initio,” Akinlayo said.

He also cited the Supreme Court judgment in Tukur v. Mustapha (2023), which held that political appointees seeking elective office must resign their appointments before participating in party primaries.

Beyond the eligibility question, Akinlayo alleged that the primary election was fraught with irregularities, including lack of voter accreditation in some wards, vote inflation, voter suppression and disruption of voting in areas where he claimed to enjoy strong support.

He further alleged that some local government and party officials with vested interests in the contest were appointed as returning officers, thereby compromising the credibility of the exercise.

The lawmaker consequently urged the APC leadership to disqualify Ibrahim and declare him the winner of the primary, having emerged second in the contest.

In the alternative, he called on the National Assembly Appeal Committee to nullify results from the affected wards and order a fresh primary election involving only qualified aspirants.

Akinlayo stressed that strict adherence to the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution was necessary to protect the integrity of the APC’s internal democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The dispute is among the first major post-primary challenges within the ruling party ahead of the next general election and is expected to shape the APC’s choice of candidate for the House of Representatives seat in Ekiti North Federal Constituency II.