A senatorial aspirant for the Ondo North Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alex Ajipe, has cautioned the leadership of the party against attempting to sideline the Owo and Ose Local Council Areas of Ondo State in the upcoming primary.

Ajipe, who submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, disclosed that such a move would be tantamount to electoral suicide for the party in the 2027 general elections.

According to the senatorial aspirant, his candidacy is not a mere personal ambition but a long-overdue movement for equity, inclusion, and party unity within the Ondo North political structure.

Ajipe, who had served as the South-West Zonal Director for Social and Humanitarian Affairs in the Presidential Campaign Committee, harped on the demographic and political consciousness of the local government, which he stated has been ignored for nearly two decades.

While noting that Owo local council, a traditional powerhouse, last produced a senator for the district in 2007, the APC chieftain stated that the development signposts a 20-year representation gap that has fostered what he described as growing resentment among loyal party faithful.

With the aspirant emphasising that Owo and Ose command the largest voting bloc in Ondo North, he warned that any political calculation that disregards the numerical strength of the axis is not only unjust but dangerously self-defeating for the APC.

Ajipe cautioned that opposition parties are closely monitoring the APC’s primary process, stressing that any perception of injustice or imposition of a candidate would be swiftly exploited by rival parties to flip the district in the general election.

The APC chieftain, who pointed to electoral precedents in other states where internal party grievances led to mass defections and unexpected losses, called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC and the party leadership in the state to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants.

He demanded that the primary process be transparent and that the candidate with the most popular support be allowed to emerge naturally, without manipulation or imposition.

“For 20 years, Owo has waited, mobilised, and stayed loyal to the party. We have supported others, carried the party on our shoulders, and now we are ready, united, and demanding equity. This is not a plea; it is an assertion of our rightful turn.

“Owo and Ose consistently deliver the highest poll numbers in the district. Any attempt to sideline these two areas is not only unjust; it is electoral suicide for the APC.

“A rigged or imposed primary will breed disillusionment, trigger defections, and fuel voter apathy. What we have seen in other states can replay here if the party fails to conduct a free, fair, and transparent primary.

“Equity delayed for 20 years is justice denied. Give us a level playing field, let the most popular aspirant emerge, and we will defend Ondo North for the APC. Ignore the call for fairness, and the party will pay a heavy price at the polls.

“The question is not whether Owo and Ose can win; the question is whether the party has the political courage to do what is fair and just. Listen now, or expect the consequences in 2027,” Ajipe stated.