By David Oladimeji
The usually calm atmosphere at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja turned into a theatre of agitation on Friday as angry party members from Ekiti State besieged the premises in protest. Their grievance was clear and loud — the alleged exclusion of business mogul and governorship hopeful, Kayode Ojo, from the forthcoming APC primary election.
From as early as 8:30 a.m., protesters arrived in clusters, waving placards and chanting solidarity songs. The slogans, boldly inscribed in red and black markers, told the story: “Justice for Kayode Ojo,” “Let the people decide,” “No to imposition in Ekiti APC.”
The protest, which began peacefully, soon drew attention from passers-by and journalists. The chants reverberated through Blantyre Street, where the APC headquarters sits — a familiar location that has, over the years, witnessed both celebration and crisis within the ruling party.
At the heart of the demonstration was what protesters described as a “blatant injustice.” They claimed that Ojo, who had purchased his forms, met all requirements, and was duly screened, was suddenly dropped from the final list of cleared aspirants without any official explanation.
Many of the demonstrators were dressed in matching T-shirts bearing Ojo’s portrait and the words “Our Hope, Our Choice.” The air was thick with chants demanding transparency and fairness as they called on the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to intervene immediately.
Speaking to reporters, Comrade Tunde Olatunji, one of the leaders of the protest, accused certain political heavyweights of manipulating the screening process to favour their preferred candidate.
“Kayode Ojo has been a loyal party member and a grassroots mobilizer. His disqualification is not just unfair to him but a slap on the democratic values our party professes,” Olatunji declared passionately.
He described Ojo as a man of integrity whose political ambition had always been anchored on service and development for Ekiti people. “We will not fold our arms and watch injustice thrive. The people’s voice must be heard,” he added.
Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) were stationed strategically around the secretariat to forestall breakdown of law and order. Patrol vans and barricades dotted the main gate, while plain-clothes officers mingled within the crowd to monitor proceedings.
Despite the heavy presence of security personnel, the protesters maintained a peaceful stance. They sang patriotic songs and recited party anthems, occasionally pausing to address journalists and share copies of their petition addressed to the National Working Committee (NWC).
The petition, obtained by our correspondent, urged the party’s leadership to “correct the injustice and reinstate Kayode Ojo in the interest of fairness, inclusivity, and internal democracy.” It warned that failure to do so could result in mass defection and loss of confidence among loyal party members in Ekiti.6
As the protest continued, several party officials were seen moving in and out of the secretariat building, holding brief meetings in hushed tones. Attempts to speak with any member of the screening committee were unsuccessful, as none was willing to comment on the issue.
Sources within the party, however, hinted that Ojo’s exclusion might not be unconnected with internal power tussles and alignment of interests among top stakeholders ahead of the 2026 governorship election. “It’s all politics,” one insider whispered. “But the backlash might be stronger than expected.”
Kayode Ojo, a prominent engineer and businessman, is not a stranger to Ekiti politics. He contested the governorship ticket of the APC in 2018 and later emerged as one of the party’s influential figures, known for his philanthropy and grassroots empowerment programmes across the 16 local government areas of the state.
To his supporters, Ojo represents a bridge between technocratic leadership and political renewal. To his detractors, he is a threat to entrenched interests and an outsider in the state’s tightly-knit political circle.
The Abuja protest, therefore, became more than just an outcry over disqualification — it symbolized a wider struggle within the APC over control, fairness, and the meaning of internal democracy.
As midday approached, the crowd swelled, and the chants grew louder. Some protesters knelt in front of the gate, praying and pleading for divine intervention, while others waved the Nigerian flag, insisting that “truth must prevail.”
Attempts by some senior APC officials to pacify the demonstrators yielded little success. They were firm: no retreat, no surrender — not until their candidate’s name was restored.
By 2 p.m., after nearly five hours of singing and chanting, the crowd began to disperse gradually, leaving behind a thick tension that mirrored the deep divisions within the party’s Ekiti chapter.
As of press time, the APC leadership had yet to issue an official statement regarding the protest or clarify the reason behind Ojo’s exclusion.
Observers believe that how the party handles this controversy could6 shape its fortunes in the 2026 Ekiti governorship election. For many of Ojo’s loyalists, the protest is only the beginning of what they call “a long fight for justice within the party we built.”
