Bye-election: Protest rocks Oyo APC secretariat

By Adejayan Gbenga

Youth members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State staged a peaceful protest on Friday at the party’s secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, expressing dissatisfaction over the party’s failure to field a candidate for the upcoming bye-election.

The demonstration follows the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of a bye-election scheduled for August 16, 2025, in the Ibadan North Federal Constituency. The election was necessitated by the death of Hon. Musiliudeen Akinremi on July 10, 2024, in Abuja.

Tensions within the APC have intensified since the party’s primary election on July 19, 2025, which was reportedly marred by violence. Nine aspirants are said to have boycotted the process, citing irregularities and alleging that no credible election took place, despite claims of a consensus candidate.

During the protest, the youth stakeholders called on President Bola Tinubu and other top APC leaders to urgently intervene. They warned that the ongoing internal crisis could jeopardize the party’s stronghold in the constituency if not resolved swiftly.

The protesters demanded transparency and fairness in the candidate selection process, emphasizing that failure to present a viable candidate could hand an advantage to opposition parties.