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HoA Primary: Obokun APC Members Protest, Allege Wole Oke Of Manipulating Result

HoA Primary: Obokun APC Members Protest, Allege Wole Oke Of Manipulating Result
  • PublishedMay 21, 2026

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State on Thursday staged a protest at the state secretariat of the party in Osogbo, alleging plot to manipulate the outcome of the recently held House of Assembly primary election in the area.

The protesters accused the lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Hon. Wole Oke, and a party chieftain, Siji Olamiju, of attempting to replace the declared winner with the first runner-up.

Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Give us our mandate,” “Respect the will of the people,” and “Let people’s votes count,” the demonstrators said the primary was conducted peacefully and produced a clear winner in Mr. Gbenga Falope.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Oyewole Oyebanji maintained that the primary was conclusive and that Falope secured a decisive victory with 2,594 votes.

Oyebanji said any attempt to overturn the result would undermine internal democracy and erode trust in the party ahead of the 2026 general elections.

“We have been robbed by Hon. Wole Oke and Siji Olamiji. We went for the primary election on Wednesday and at the end of the day, Gbenga Falope won the primary election with 565 votes. He scored 2594 to defeat his nearest contestant who got 2020,” he stated.

Oyebanji added, “However, after the conclusion of the primary- process and movement to Osogbo for the issuance/documentation of nomination forms, the process suddenly became questionable and suspicious.

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“We strongly believe and have credible information that Hon. Oluwole Oke, Member representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, interfered in the process and influenced the unlawful withholding/removal of the nomination form meant for the House
of Assembly position.”

The protesters called on the leadership of the APC in the state to intervene urgently and validate the outcome of the primary.

“Falope is the winner and we will not accept injustice, manipulation, or the twisting of the democratic voice of APC members in Obokan Local Government. The peace, unity, and future electoral success of the APC depend on fairness, transparency, and respect for internal democracy.

“The era where the wishes of party members are ignored and replaced with personal political interests must come to an end. We therefore strongly call on the leadership of APC in Obokun and Osun State to urgently intervene and ensure that the authentic outcome of the primary election is respected,” Oyebanji said.

He warned that continued imposition of candidates could cost the party support in the area ahead of the August 15 gubernatorial election.

“If the party fails to do anything about it, we will withdraw our support for the APC gubernatorial candidate because we cannot be in a party where the people we called leaders will be shortchanging us,” he noted.

Efforts to get the reaction of Hon. Oke and Mr Olamiji proved abortive as at time of this report.