As the deadline for submission of National Assembly nominations to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) draws near, the All Progressives Congress (APC) finds its National Secretariat consumed by intense negotiations over who will represent Ondo State. At the centre of the dispute, however, is a clear and growing consensus around Alexander Oluremi Ajipe for the Ondo North senatorial ticket, a development sources say enjoys firm backing from the Presidency.
Inside party circles at the Blantyre Street headquarters, rival groupings have pushed competing slates, outgoing federal lawmakers pressing for reinstatement, state executives defending primary outcomes, and aggrieved local aspirants threatening legal action. Amid this fragmentation, Ajipe’s name has repeatedly been floated as a unifying choice capable of bridging the rifts that now threaten the party’s cohesion in Ondo.
Supporters argue that Villa endorsement reflects a strategic calculation, Ajipe combines broad acceptability across state power centres with the political gravitas needed to neutralise internal disputes and present a credible candidate in the run-up to 2027. Proponents say his selection would avert protracted litigation and preserve the APC’s electoral viability by aligning national guidance with state level interests.
Party leaders sympathetic to the Presidency have reportedly forwarded lists favouring Ajipe to the party’s top leadership, urging the National Working Committee to adopt a harmonised approach that prioritises unity and electability. That recommendation contrasts with efforts by some factions to impose alternative slates, a move many fear could trigger pre-election court challenges and weaken the party’s prospects at the polls.
State government and local executives continue to press for recognition of primary winners, but several mediators have urged compromise around Ajipe’s candidacy to prevent a damaging rupture. Likewise, disaffected aspirants have been encouraged to pursue internal remedies rather than escalate matters to litigation that could disenfranchise the party before INEC’s deadline.
With time running out, APC leaders face a pivotal choice endorse a Villa-supported candidate who may bring immediate cohesion and strategic advantage, or risk entering the general election season fractured by competing claims and legal contests. For many within the party, Alexander Oluremi Ajipe represents the pragmatic path to reconciliation and victory in Ondo North.
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