A member of the House of Representatives, Kolawole Akinlayo, has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disqualify the aspirant declared winner of the party’s primary election for Ekiti North Federal Constituency II, alleging that he was constitutionally ineligible to participate in the exercise.

Akinlayo, who represents Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido Osi Federal Constituency in the 10th House of Representatives, made the call while addressing journalists in Abuja, against the backdrop of his petition to the APC National Chairman and the party’s National Assembly Appeal Committee challenging the outcome of the May 16 primary election.

The lawmaker argued that the party should strictly enforce the provisions of Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, insisting that the aspirant declared winner, Kunle Ibrahim, remained a political appointee at the time of the primary and was therefore not qualified to contest.

According to Akinlayo, Ibrahim was serving as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and continued to receive salary up to May 2026, after the conduct of the primary election.

He contended that Ibrahim’s participation contravened Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides that: “A political appointee at any level shall not be a voting delegate or be voted for during party conventions, congresses or primaries of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

Akinlayo also cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Tukur v. Mustapha (2023), arguing that political appointees seeking elective office must first resign their appointments before participating in party primaries.

“The purported winner is not qualified to participate in the primary election by virtue of Section 88(1), and his participation, in the eyes of the law, is a nullity ab initio,” he said.

Beyond the issue of eligibility, the lawmaker alleged that the primary election was marred by widespread irregularities across several wards in the constituency.

He alleged that the exercise was characterised by the absence of voter accreditation in some areas, inflation of votes in others, voter suppression and disruption of voting in parts of the constituency where his supporters recorded high turnout.

Akinlayo alleged that local government and party officials with vested interests in the outcome of the exercise were appointed as returning officers, thereby compromising the credibility of the process.

He urged the APC leadership to invoke the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act by disqualifying Ibrahim and declaring him the valid winner of the primary, having reportedly finished second in the contest.

In the alternative, he appealed to the party’s National Assembly Appeal Committee to nullify the results from the affected wards where he alleged irregularities occurred and order a fresh primary election involving only aspirants qualified under the Electoral Act.

Akinlayo maintained that strict compliance with the Electoral Act and the APC Constitution was essential to preserving the integrity of the party’s internal democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that failure to enforce the law could erode confidence in the party’s candidate selection process.