Leaders, elected officials, and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State’s Yagba Federal Constituency have defended the emergence of Leke Abejide as the party’s candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election, insisting that his victory reflected the collective will of party members.
Gatekeepers News reports that operating under the banner of the Leke Abejide Support Group (LASG), the APC stakeholders dismissed criticisms surrounding Abejide’s emergence, describing them as the reaction of political opponents dissatisfied with the outcome of the party’s primary election.
According to the group, Abejide participated in the APC primary and secured an overwhelming mandate through a transparent and credible process.
They noted that those challenging the result had supported another aspirant during the contest but failed to win the backing of party members across the constituency.
The leaders said the outcome of the primary election reflected the preferences of APC members in all 34 wards of the federal constituency and warned against attempts to discredit the process through media campaigns and public agitation.
“Democracy is not about excluding a candidate because of where he comes from. Democracy is about allowing the people to decide who is best suited to represent their interests,” the group stated.
The APC chieftains also highlighted what they described as Abejide’s achievements while in office, citing scholarship programmes, youth and women empowerment initiatives, infrastructure projects, and a recent grant scheme that reportedly provided N10 million each to more than 70 communities for projects of their choice.
According to the group, the lawmaker’s accessibility, performance, and community-focused interventions have earned him broad support across Yagba Federal Constituency.
They argued that voters are increasingly placing greater value on competence, measurable impact, and effective service delivery than on symbolic considerations.
“The people are interested in results. They are interested in impact. They are interested in leaders who understand their needs and have demonstrated the capacity to meet them,” they said.
The leaders urged party members and the general public to disregard efforts aimed at questioning the outcome of the APC primary, insisting that the democratic process had produced a clear winner.
They maintained that political pressure, revisionism, and propaganda could not overturn a mandate freely given by party members.
“The party members have spoken. The people have spoken. Democracy has spoken, and its verdict deserves respect,” the group added.
The statement was signed by Kingsley Fanwo, Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications; Tosin Olokun, Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area and Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Kogi State; Dare Joshua, Chairman of Yagba East Local Government Area; Ademola Bello, Chairman of Mopamuro Local Government Area; alongside several APC chieftains from across Yagba Federal Constituency.
