Members of the All Progressives Congress in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State on Monday staged a peaceful protest over the alleged refusal of party leaders to issue them membership cards, raising concerns over their participation in future party primaries.
The aggrieved members, who gathered at the party secretariat in Ijaye, Abeokuta, also accused some leaders of plotting to impose candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, alleging that the delay in issuing membership cards was a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise them.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Give Us Our Membership Cards,” “We Don’t Want Imposition,” and “Let Us Vote for Our Candidates,” the protesters demanded immediate action from party authorities.
Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, Adesanya Akinbode said members who had completed their registration were being unfairly excluded from the party’s internal democratic process.
“We have been loyal members of the APC from the beginning. We are loyal supporters of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun. Give us our membership cards so that we can vote,” he said.
Another protester, Idowu Rodiat, decried alleged moves to impose candidates on party members, insisting on transparent and credible primaries.
“We don’t want imposition in our local government. We want to vote for our leaders ourselves — from the House of Assembly to the Senate. No leader should choose candidates for us,” she said, while also calling for adequate security during the primaries.
However, the Ogun State APC dismissed the allegations, insisting that no member was being denied access to membership cards.
The state Publicity Secretary, Nuerudeen Adesanya Olufemi, said registered members could print their membership cards online, adding that designated ward officials were available to assist those having difficulties.
“What we expect is for registered members to access and print their membership cards directly. Each ward has a contact person responsible for handling registrations and assisting members,” Olufemi said.
He attributed the complaints to inadequate sensitisation at the ward level, maintaining that the state leadership was not responsible for any difficulty experienced by members.
“What is needed is proper orientation of ward chairmen to guide members on how to print their slips. It is a simple process. The state has absolutely nothing to do with denying anyone access,” he added.
The protest highlights growing internal tensions within the party at the grassroots level as political alignments begin to take shape ahead of the next election cycle.
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