The announcement of winners in the Osun APC House of Representatives primary election stalled on Sunday, May 17, after protests broke out at the venue in Osogbo. Party loyalists stormed Aenon Suite in GRA, where the committee chairman, Bayo Ayo, had planned to announce the result by 12 noon.
The delay affected nine federal constituencies, with grievances rising from loyalists in Osogbo, Obokun, Ayedaade and Ila, who openly rejected the outcome and accused the process of being manipulated in favour of preferred contenders. In Ayedaade Federal Constituency, Taiwo Oluga, Bimbo Amusa, Moses Olarewaju and Wale Opejin were in contention, while Hon. Wole Oke faced Desmond Ojumu in Obokun/Ori-Ade and Adebisi Obawale challenged Hon. Adeniyi Ismail Oluwatosin in Ila.
The crisis came as the party tried to settle a bruising contest that had already exposed sharp divisions across local councils. In Osogbo, Olorunda, Irepodun and Orolu, Rasheed Aderemi and Kayode Ibrahim Taofeek were described as close in the wards, deepening the tension around a primary that was meant to set the party up for the 2026 election.
Not every race was contested in the same way. In Ijesa South Federal Constituency, Hon. Sanya Omirin emerged as consensus candidate after Lawrence Ayeni and Oladapo Komolafe stepped down for him, a contrast that underscored how differently the primaries played out from one constituency to another.
As the protests grew, Osun APC chairman Tajudeen Lawal called for calm and warned that it would not augur well for any member of the party to speak down on the party or its leaders because they failed to win. He urged members to undertake self-examination and said they should remain calm and avoid actions capable of undermining party cohesion, even as party leaders met with the primary committee members.
The immediate problem is not just the delayed announcement. It is whether the party can contain the anger that followed the exercise before it hardens into a wider internal fight, with the dispute over the Osun APC House of Representatives tickets now feeding into the broader tension inside the party in the state.
