A Coalition of Civil Society Groups (COCSG), has raised alarm on the choice of Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2026 gubernatorial election.

The coalition raised the alarm at a news conference convened to address the disturbing and undemocratic developments within the APC in Ekiti State ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial elections.

Comrade Oladimeji Olatunji, President, Coalition of Civil Society Groups in Nigeria on behalf of 10 other society groups, said that if the Ekiti saga goes unaddressed, it may spell doom for our democracy and threaten the peace, unity, and democratic advancement of the nation.

“In this circumstance, we strongly bring to bear the consequences of hegemonic manipulation politics as a monster to the establishment of credible leadership and good governance in Nigeria,” he said.

“We are therefore compelled to ask: Where then lies the democratic value of the ruling party in leading the nation to a save ground of leadership purpose where democracy and rule of law takes preeminence in our internal system?

“The second issue of concern is the non-performance of the sitting Governor and the subsequent imposition of a consensus adoption of his candidacy as the party’s flag bearer.

“We are not unaware of the provision for the consensus candidate in the Constitution of All Progressives Congress as a political party, but not when such an approach deviate from the decent and the guiding rules of the Constitution.

“The kind of consensus that gave birth to Governor Biodun Oyebanji as APC 2026 gubernatorial candidate, is not only questionable, but lacks credibility and ingredients of internal democracy and its inherent democratic ingredients.

“The coalition finds it unfortunate that rather than allowing a transparent contest of ideas and competence, the APC party machinery in Ekiti state has chosen to endorse mediocrity over merit.

Speaking further, the coalition decried the discrimination and false allegations against other aspirants, while it condemned in strong terms, the deliberate marginalization of other aspirants within the party.

“It is disheartening that the APC leadership in the state has gone to the extent of discrediting the nomination forms submitted by some aspirants, falsely alleging that their sponsors and signatories are not party members.

“This is unthinkable, especially when the so called non-members were aspirants in the same party some years ago.”

“Ekiti is historically a politically conscious state of intelligentsia. Any attempt to subvert the people’s will can only yield resentment, division, and rejection at the polls.”

The coalition therefore call on President Bola Tinubu, as the father of the party and a foremost advocate of democracy, to urgently intervene in the unfolding crisis in Ekiti APC.

It urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC to review the selection of Governor Oyebanji as consensus candidate of the party and allow internal politics to thrive, saying that an imposition can’t be labeled consensus. It is a failure of leadership.