Concerned APC members in Ogun East have petitioned party leaders and security agencies over alleged intimidation, voter suppression and planned thuggery ahead of the May 18 senatorial primary
Ogun East: APC Grassroots Members Cry Out Over Intimidation, Thuggery Plot Ahead of Senatorial Primary
Tension is mounting within the All Progressives Congress in Ogun East Senatorial District as concerned party members have raised alarm over alleged intimidation, harassment and a planned deployment of thugs ahead of the party’s direct senatorial primary scheduled for Monday, May 18, 2026.
The worried members, drawn from the nine local government areas in the district, accused some party leaders of attempting to suppress participation and intimidate perceived loyalists of Senator Gbenga Daniel ahead of the crucial contest.
The allegations were contained in a petition dated May 13, 2026, addressed to APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and copied to the Inspector General of Police, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
According to the petitioners, there are growing fears across the district that some party executives allegedly acting in line with the Ogun State APC structure loyal to Governor Dapo Abiodun are preventing certain members from participating freely in ward meetings and political activities leading to the primary.
“Credible reports across the nine Local Government Areas indicate that perceived followers and loyalists of Otunba Gbenga Daniel are being harassed, intimidated and deliberately prevented from attending party meetings at Ward levels by some party executives allegedly acting on the directives from the State structure loyal to Prince Dapo Abiodun,” the petition stated.
The petition also alleged that threats were being issued to registered party members to discourage them from exercising their voting rights during the primary election.
In what appears to have heightened anxiety within the party, the petitioners further claimed that intelligence reports pointed to plans to mobilise thugs to voting centres across Ogun East on the day of the exercise to intimidate voters and suppress participation.
“Such acts, if unchecked, may provoke violence, voter victimisation and a breakdown of law and order capable of staining the image and integrity of the APC,” the petition warned.
The aggrieved members urged the national leadership of the party and security agencies to intervene immediately to prevent the situation from degenerating into violence.
“As a stitch in time saves nine, urgent intervention is necessary to preserve peace, fairness and public confidence in the electoral process,” the petition added.
The Ogun East senatorial contest has become one of the most closely watched political battles in Ogun State as Governor Abiodun is widely believed to be interested in the Senate seat currently occupied by Daniel after the expiration of his second term in office in 2027.
Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State and currently Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Navy, is also seeking re-election and has remained influential across the district.
The rivalry between both political camps has intensified in recent weeks, with supporters on both sides mobilising heavily ahead of the APC primary.
The petitioners called on the APC national chairman to direct Ogun APC leaders at the state, local government and ward levels to desist from any form of intimidation capable of undermining the credibility of the exercise.
They also appealed to the police, DSS and NSCDC to deploy adequate security personnel across all 103 wards in Ogun East before, during and after the primary to ensure that no party member is harassed or disenfranchised.
The concerned members further demanded the deployment of what they described as “unbiased men of proven integrity” to supervise the primary election.
“Mr. Chairman Sir, history and posterity will remember whatever steps you take at this critical moment,” the petitioners wrote. “The integrity, dignity and democratic reputation of APC as the ruling party must not be sacrificed on the altar of desperation, intimidation and abuse of power.”
As political tension continues to rise ahead of the May 18 primary, neither the Ogun State APC nor the state government had officially responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
