The political dispute between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State and the state’s National Assembly members over return tickets has intensified with conflicting claims about re‑election support.
Return tickets refer to incumbent politicians seeking party endorsement to run again for their seats in the National Assembly. Ondo State has nine members in the House of Representatives and two senators representing it at the federal level.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is the ruling party in both the state and at the federal level.
A Vanguard report said the dispute “deepened” as allegations emerged that Governor Aiyedatiwa was working against the return tickets of the state’s federal lawmakers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A source within the APC, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that the governor had vowed that none of the nine House of Representatives members and the two senators would secure party support to contest again.
The source also said the governor had “reported” the lawmakers to President Bola Tinubu, citing their alleged lack of popularity and grassroots connection.
The Vanguard article reported that the party leader said the governor met with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and “allegedly told the President that none of the federal lawmakers from Ondo State should be allowed to return to the National Assembly.”
In contrast, another APC leader denied the allegations. That leader said Aiyedatiwa had not endorsed or approved any aspirants for the National Assembly positions and that reports of his intervention were inaccurate.
The article added that members of the House of Representatives from Ondo State had earlier met with the governor at the Government House in Akure to express their intention to seek re‑election in 2027.
When contacted, Mr Donald Ojogo, the lawmaker representing Ilaje/Ese‑Odo Federal Constituency, said he and other lawmakers were unaware of any governor’s instruction to President Tinubu.
He described the report as stemming from “the opinion of whoever is spewing such” and stated their relationship with the governor remained “good.”
The differing accounts from party sources and lawmakers may shape internal discussions within the APC in Ondo State as the party moves towards primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Any formal decisions on candidate selection will follow the APC’s established nomination procedures.
