The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ekiti South-West/Ikere/Ise-Orun Federal Constituency, Engr. Toyin Okoro, has accused a former aspirant, AVM Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo (rtd), of sponsoring protests to destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued by the Director of Media, Strategy and Publicity of the Okoro Campaign Council, Yomi Abegunde said Ojuawo was overwhelmingly defeated by Okoro in the primary held on May 16, 2026.
The council alleged that after losing the primary by 90 per cent to 10 per cent, Ojuawo has resorted to desperate measures to undermine Okoro’s candidature.
“After failing in his attempt to instigate the ICPC against the party’s candidate, he has now resorted to sponsoring protests against the candidature of Engr. Toyin Okoro,” Abegunde said.
He described the alleged protests as a calculated attempt to jeopardise APC unity and preparations for the general election scheduled for January 16, 2027, insisting the outcome of the primary is a matter of record.
The campaign council recalled that Ojuawo was arrested and arraigned by the EFCC in 2016 over alleged fraud and involvement in the arms deal scandal, arguing that due process was allowed to take its course then.
“If he had been condemned and denied the opportunity of due process at the time, would he have had the opportunity to contest for the position he now occupies?” Abegunde queried.
According to him, Ojuawo has already petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and should allow the anti-graft agency to independently investigate and reach its findings.
“It is curious that, having invoked the jurisdiction of the ICPC, the petitioner would simultaneously embark on a campaign of calumny and sponsor protests. Such conduct reveals that he is seeking not merely an investigation, but a predetermined outcome,” he said.
However, in a swift reaction, the Ojuawo Media Team denied any link with Okoro’s invitation by the ICPC, describing the allegation as false and mischievous.
“Hon. Ojuawo has absolutely no connection with the circumstances surrounding Engr. Toyin Okoro’s invitation by the ICPC. He neither initiated, sponsored, facilitated nor had prior knowledge of the invitation,” the team said, adding that the anti-graft agency should be allowed to do its work without politicisation.
The Okoro campaign further alleged that Ojuawo’s actions were targeted at creating tension within the Ekiti APC, a party it said Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji and other leaders have built and united for peace and development, and linked the moves to opposition plots against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It also cautioned Ojuawo against dragging the Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, and the Arinjale of Ise-Ekiti, Oba David Ajayi, into what it called a campaign of political suicide.
“We call on the leadership of the party to take all necessary steps, in accordance with the APC Constitution, to sanction AVM Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo for conduct capable of undermining the unity, stability, and electoral interests of the party,” Abegunde said.
