By Mardiyyah Abubakar
A member of the House of Representatives, Kolawole Akinlayo, has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to strictly uphold the provisions of the Electoral Act in resolving the dispute arising from the Ekiti North Federal Constituency II primary election.
Akinlayo made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Abuja after submitting a petition to the APC National Chairman and the party’s Appeal Committee.
He challenged the emergence of the declared winner of the May 16 primary, Kunle Ibrahim, alleging that he was ineligible to contest because he remained a political appointee at the time of the election.
According to the lawmaker, Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, prohibits political appointees from voting or contesting in party primaries unless they resign their appointments before participating in the process.
He also cited a Supreme Court judgment, which he said reinforces the requirement for political appointees to resign before seeking party nominations.
Akinlayo further alleged that Ibrahim continued to receive salaries as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation after the primary election, a claim he said raises questions about his eligibility.
The federal lawmaker also alleged that the primary election was fraught with irregularities, including vote suppression, lack of accreditation in some wards, and manipulation of results.
He urged the APC to disqualify Ibrahim and declare him the rightful winner of the primary or, alternatively, cancel results from the disputed wards and conduct a fresh exercise.
Akinlayo warned that failure to enforce the Electoral Act and the party’s guidelines could undermine confidence in the APC’s internal democratic processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, Kunle Ibrahim has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that he resigned his appointment before contesting the primary election and fully complied with all legal requirements.
