More than 96 hours after the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly primaries in Ondo State, aspirants are still in suspense. They compare the uncertainty surrounding the election results to the Islamic fasting period when worshippers await the sighting of the moon and the Sultan’s declaration before celebrations can begin.
Just as Muslims complete their fasting while waiting for the Sultan of Sokoto to signal the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid festivities, many APC aspirants in Ondo believe they have met all electoral requirements, cast their votes, and completed the collation process. Yet, they remain unable to celebrate or accept defeat without a final announcement from the party’s national secretariat.
The primaries, held on May 16 and 18, were expected to produce candidates for Senate and House of Representatives seats across the three senatorial districts and federal constituencies.
However, 72 hours after the voting, no final list has been issued by the party headquarters in Abuja, leaving aspirants and their supporters in a state of political limbo. Sources within the party indicate that the national leadership halted the release of some results due to reports of disagreements, disruptions, and protests that marred the collation process in some areas of the state. Since then, those who believed they had secured tickets have been left waiting for what many are calling the “moon sighting” from Abuja.
This delay has created an unusual political atmosphere, with many aspirants already erecting congratulatory billboards, issuing statements of appreciation, and mobilizing supporters, despite the lack of formal declarations from the national secretariat. For many within the party, this suspense has become a test of patience.
While the elections have taken place and votes have been counted, no one is certain of their political fate until the final word comes from the APC national headquarters.
The uncertainty is particularly acute in the Senate races, where all aspirants were previously screened and cleared, yet the outcomes remain undisclosed. The contests in Ondo North involved multiple contenders, while Ondo Central and Ondo South also saw intense competition among high-profile aspirants.
The House of Representatives contests also produced dramatic results, with some winners initially announced before the national secretariat intervened and clouded the process.
This situation has heightened tensions among the supporters of incumbent lawmakers, particularly after several sitting members reportedly failed to secure return tickets.
Political observers note that the Ondo primaries have become one of the most contentious in recent years; neither victory nor defeat can be definitively asserted until Abuja speaks.
As the silence from the national secretariat continues, aspirants are frantically making contacts, consulting, and calculating their political strategies, all in search of the “moon” that will determine their political futures.
Until the final declaration is made, the fate of many APC hopefuls in Ondo remains uncertain, suspended not in the ballot box, but in the hands of the party’s national leadership, whose pronouncement is eagerly awaited like the crescent moon after a long fast.