A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), , has warned the party to review the process and outcome of the Oyo North Senatorial District primary election or risk handing the opposition a landslide victory in the 2027 general elections.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Peters described Oyo North as a strategic senatorial district, saying the APC must present a candidate capable of strengthening the party’s chances in the senatorial, governorship and presidential elections.

He noted that Oyo is one of only four states not currently controlled by the APC, stressing that the party could not afford decisions that would further weaken its electoral prospects.

Peters alleged that the declaration of Hannah Ogunesan as the APC’s candidate for Oyo North Senatorial District did not reflect the outcome of the primary election.

According to him, one of the three aspirants, Dr Gbenga Adebola, won in nine of the 13 local government areas in the district but was not declared the winner.

“The results are there, the elections were concluded, the primaries held, result sheets were entered and returned to the party,” he said.

He alleged that Ogunesan, a former Secretary to the Oyo State Government, had a case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in which public funds were returned to the state treasury.

Peters also cited what he described as cultural, religious and unresolved political issues surrounding her candidacy, warning that they could hurt the APC’s electoral chances.

He urged the APC leadership to review the process and the outcome of the primary election, arguing that failure to do so would amount to political self-sabotage.

“This is not an attack. It is a warning; proceed with this ticket and the consequences will be swift and absolute.

“The EFCC probe into her tenure, with funds returned to the treasury, is a ready-made campaign for the PDP and LP.

“The opposition will exploit the division. Without Oyo North’s numbers, our presidential and gubernatorial candidates will lose the state.

“Fielding her makes our anti-corruption message sound hollow. In the era of Renewed Hope, that hypocrisy is fatal,” he said.

Also speaking, Deputy Coordinator of the New Age Transformative Leadership for Good Governance, Dr Sani Abubakar, urged political parties to uphold the will of the people in their primary elections.

He said democracy thrives on the wishes of the electorate, warning that alleged manipulation of primary election outcomes could fuel voter apathy and weaken Nigeria’s democratic process.

Abubakar said there were reports of discrepancies between results announced at some primary elections and the final lists of candidates published by political parties, as well as allegations of irregularities in the emergence of some candidates.

He cautioned against the influence of political godfathers and power brokers, insisting that Nigeria must reform its leadership recruitment process to strengthen democracy.

“What is democracy without respecting the will of the majority? If one person, no matter how highly placed, determines the fate of a local government, a constituency or a state, then it is not democracy; perhaps it is ‘electorcracy’,” he said.