A former Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources in Ondo State, Razaq Obe, has warned that President Bola Tinubu could lose Ondo State in 2027 election if disputes arising from the All Progressives Congress(APC) national assembly primaries are not resolved.
Obe, who gave the warning on Tuesday during an interview on ARISE NEWS, said the controversy surrounding the conduct and outcome of the APC primaries had left many party members disgruntled.
He said that the fallout could affect both the National Assembly and Presidential elections in the state.
“If it’s not addressed, the cascading effect might not even impact the National Assembly election alone, but the presidential election in Ondo State,” Obe stated.
The former commissioner argued that many party members now feel alienated following the handling of the primary process.
“Are we going to go into election where over 70 per cent of the people feel disenfranchised and they are disgruntled? And you want to just announce to the governor, ‘Go get people together,’ as if they are animals? No.
“From what we know as of today, nobody can pump his chest and say we’re going to win elections anywhere if we go into the 2027 election,” he said.
Obe recalled that similar controversies during previous election cycles had resulted in electoral losses for the APC in Ondo South and Ondo Central Senatorial Districts.
“I remember a thing like this has happened before. In Ondo South, a candidate of the party emerged in a controversial circumstance as well. That’s Senator Yele Omogunwa, APC, in 2019. PDP won. Senator Nicholas Tofowomo won the election in Ondo South.
“In Ondo Central, the same thing happened. An APC candidate emerged through a controversial process as well. Who won the election? PDP won. Senator Akinyelure,” he stated.
The former commissioner advised that internal disagreements should be managed through a balanced political solution.
