By Jude Opara
Former Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Ayo Arise, has alleged that the result of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary held in the district was manipulated, describing the figures announced by the party as a “cooked-up” result.
Arise made the allegation in an interview with Arise News, months after rejecting the outcome of the May 18, 2026 primary that produced incumbent Senator Cyril Fasuyi as the APC’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The APC primary committee had declared Fasuyi winner with 14,179 votes, while Arise was credited with 4,868 votes. Other aspirants, Dipo Bamisaye and Dare Owolabi, were credited with 3,694 and 2,836 votes respectively.
Arise, however, disputed the figures, insisting that results he and his supporters compiled from the wards showed a different outcome.
He claimed that in areas where voting took place, he obtained more than 8,000 votes, while Fasuyi scored about 7,000. He alleged that the figures eventually announced by the party did not reflect the votes cast.
According to him, video recordings and other documentary evidence from the exercise had been submitted to the court in support of his challenge.
“I was thinking the only way I was not going to win was if the results were just written, so I was prepared. I had drones and cameras everywhere, in all the wards,” Arise said.
He alleged that votes were not properly counted or announced at the various levels of the primary, contrary to the APC’s guidelines.
“The reason why I went to court is basically that we need to correct our system. Whatever is wrong with it, we are responsible for the correction,” he said.
Arise maintained that the party’s guidelines required results to be announced at the ward, local government and senatorial levels, alleging that this process was not followed.
He subsequently instituted legal proceedings challenging the outcome, saying he filed his case within the prescribed period and would await the court’s determination.
The former senator also addressed the issue of consensus, arguing that all aspirants must agree before a consensus candidate can emerge. He said where consensus could not be reached, the party should conduct a primary election in accordance with its rules.
Arise further said he would be willing to withdraw his court case if President Bola Tinubu personally asked him to step down, describing Tinubu as the leader of the APC.
He stressed, however, that no such directive had been communicated to him and that he would continue with the legal process.
The former lawmaker said his dispute was not limited to his personal ambition but was aimed at strengthening internal democracy within political parties.
He identified issues such as alleged godfatherism, money politics, weak institutions and opaque primary processes as broader challenges affecting Nigerian political parties.
Arise also said his experience had strengthened his determination to advocate for greater adherence to party rules and transparent internal electoral processes.
On President Tinubu’s administration, Arise separately expressed support for the President, claiming that Tinubu had fulfilled about 95 per cent of the campaign promises he had personally monitored. He said his assessment was based on selected areas rather than a comprehensive review of all promises attributed to the President.
His comments on the APC primary come amid an ongoing legal dispute over the party’s Ekiti North ticket, with the official result continuing to be contested by Arise. Other reports also recorded that aspirants rejected the outcome shortly after the May primary, alleging irregularities and manipulation.
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