“APC primaries a sham” – Senator Arise laments, seeks Tinubu’s intervention

Senator Ayodele Arise, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former senator for Ekiti North, has described the party’s recently concluded primaries as a “sham” that undermines internal democracy.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja at the weekend, Arise, who aspired to reclaim the Ekiti North Senatorial District ticket, accused the process of circumventing the party’s constitution and guidelines.

The APC primary committee had declared the incumbent, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, as the winner.

However, Arise said, “I knew what was in the pipeline so I went into it to prove a point.

“It will be a shame if some of us passed through this country and we don’t have the voice to correct the anomalies,” the former lawmaker stated.

He was joined in rejecting the outcome by other aspirants, Honourable Dipo Bamisaye and Dare Owolabi, who also labelled the exercise fraudulent and manipulated.

Arise, who represented the district between 2007 and 2011, expressed confidence that the APC National Working Committee’s appeal panel would address the grievances.

He noted that the party chairman had engaged President Bola Tinubu on the challenges and hoped those who “worked and won our elections will be given our mandate in due course.”

He singled out the overbearing influence of sitting governors as a major factor in the controversies.

He claimed governance in Nigeria is often viewed as a means to amass wealth, making it difficult for non-favoured candidates to succeed.

“Even when you aren’t contesting against them, if you aren’t their favoured candidate, chances of your making it is a little bit very challenging,” he said.

Arise further criticised the notion of a “system” handpicking candidates, describing the Senate as a perceived “retirement home for governors.”

Despite his criticisms, Arise commended President Tinubu’s Democracy Day broadcast, describing it as encouraging and realistic.

He said the speech highlighted the administration’s achievements while acknowledging that meaningful development, like building a house, requires time and faces challenges.

Arise called for stronger guidelines to promote genuine internal democracy and ensure candidates chosen truly reflect the will of the people.

He acknowledged gradual improvements in Nigeria’s electoral process over 27 years but stressed that much remains to be done.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​