A political pressure group in Ekiti State has raised serious allegations of interference in the upcoming governorship election, accusing the ruling party of orchestrating the exclusion of a major opposition candidate.
Allegations of Political Sabotage
The Ekiti Liberation Agenda (ELA), a recently formed pressure group, has publicly accused the Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the alleged removal of Dr. Wole Oluyede, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from the official candidate list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the June 20, 2026 election.
Speaking on behalf of the group in Ado Ekiti on January 12, 2026, Mrs. Omotunde Fajuyi, a former Chairman of Ado Local Government and ELA representative, stated that the omission was a deliberate act, not an accident. She asserted that Oluyede had legitimately emerged from a primary election that was monitored and cleared by INEC officials, making his subsequent exclusion without explanation highly suspicious.
Claims of "Acting on Orders" and Internal APC Strife
Fajuyi further alleged that the decision to exclude the PDP candidate was influenced by the incumbent state government. She claimed that individuals who approached the INEC Chairman were told he was "acting on orders." This controversy, according to her, adds to existing grievances within the APC itself.
The ELA representative alleged that during the APC primaries, credible aspirants including Kayode Ojo and a female aspirant, Abimbola Olajumoke, were unjustly disqualified. This, she said, paved the way for the incumbent governor to become a consensus candidate. "When politics is being played in such a way that will not encourage the best option, we have issues," Fajuyi stated, referencing the disqualifications.
These series of events prompted Fajuyi to leave partisan politics and co-found the Ekiti Liberation Agenda, a platform she described as a response to systemic injustice and political exclusion in the state. The group has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, warning that authorities' continued silence could heighten political tensions in Ekiti.
APC's Firm Rebuttal
In a swift reaction, the Ekiti APC spokesman, Segun Dipe, dismissed the ELA and its allegations. In a telephone interview, Dipe described the group as "meddlesome interlopers" unknown in Ekiti's political landscape.
He categorically denied the APC's involvement in any candidate's exclusion. On the disqualification of its own aspirants, Dipe clarified that it was the party's national headquarters that conducted the primaries and made decisions based on qualification requirements. Regarding Oluyede's case, he directed attention to INEC's official position, suggesting the PDP failed to upload his nomination within the stipulated timeframe. "So, how did that concern us?" he questioned.
As the date for the Ekiti governorship election draws closer, these accusations and counter-accusations underscore the charged political atmosphere in the state, with all eyes now on INEC for further clarification and on the national leadership to assess any potential for escalation.
