The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is facing allegations of collecting millions of naira from party aspirants, only to reportedly deny them nomination forms for leadership positions at its national convention.
One of the affected aspirants, Paul Yovwe Oyiborume, told SaharaReporters on Thursday that the process was “frustrating and deeply unfair.” Oyiborume, a pioneer youth leader in his local government area, said he initially paid to contest for the position of National Secretary but was later informed the slot had been zoned to the South-West and earmarked for Senator Ajibola Basiru of Osun State.
“After I paid the money, they refused to give me a receipt for the National Secretary form. They said that position had been moved to Osun State and, in fact, to Senator Basiru,” Oyiborume said, alleging that the form was deliberately withheld despite payment.
He explained that party officials advised him to contest for a position zoned to his geopolitical zone instead, prompting him to pay N5.1 million for the National Publicity Secretary form. However, he claimed the organising department still refused to issue the form, leaving him “tossed around” without clear explanation.
Oyiborume also accused the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) of sidelining the convention committee, effectively preventing it from overseeing the process. He alleged attempts to report the matter to the committee chairman were ignored.
“They are scared of contests. They don’t want it because they are failures,” he said, adding that the practice undermines the purpose of a convention, which should provide a fair platform for aspirants to compete.
Despite being a long-time member since the party’s formation in 2013 alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Oyiborume said the current leadership has failed loyal party members, handing key positions to outsiders instead.
He questioned the legitimacy of the process and demanded accountability, asking why the party collected money from aspirants yet refused to allow them to contest.
When contacted, APC spokesperson Dr. Felix Morka declined to comment directly, stating inquiries must be submitted in writing for proper review.