Scores of youths in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo West LGA of Ondo State on Thursday protested against what they described as the imposition of some councillorship candidates by the party’s leadership ahead of the January 18, 2025, local government election in the state.
Daily Trust reports that no fewer than 10 political parties including the PDP, NNPP, SDP, and ZLP have fielded chairmanship and councilorship candidates for the exercise.
The aggrieved youths, during the protest held in Ondo town, vehemently rejected the “handpicking of candidates” to represent them at the LGA without following the constitution of the party.
Displaying placards bearing different inscriptions, the angry youths blocked the Ondo/Akure road, obstructing traffic for several hours, to register their displeasure.
Felix Akinmoladun, spokesman for the protesters who expressed his frustration at the selection process, criticised the APC leaders in the LGA for allegedly imposing candidates on them.
He wondered how leaders of the party would “handpick” a councillorship candidate from Ward 5, to represent the people of Ward 8, describing the action as “insensitivity and injustice.”
He noted that another candidate was picked from Ward 2 to represent those in Ward 1, lamenting that the decision of the leaders of the party in the LG could spell doom in the upcoming election.
When contacted, the spokesman of the APC in the state, Mr Alex Kalejaye, denied any form of imposition in the choice of the party’s councillorship candidates, saying there was transparency and fairness in the representation.
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