The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified governorship aspirant Kayode Ojo from contesting in the party’s primary election in Ekiti State, scheduled for October 27, 2025.

The development was confirmed on Thursday by the APC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, while addressing journalists in Abuja.

According to Meseko, the screening committee cleared incumbent Governor Abiodun Oyebanji and Omolayo Oluremi to compete for the party’s ticket.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has already fixed the Ekiti governorship election for July 20, 2026.

Ojo’s disqualification follows the report of the screening panel set up by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to vet aspirants. It also comes barely weeks after another aspirant, Olajumoke Olawuni, was dropped from the race.

Ojo, a businessman and veteran politician in Ekiti, has long had a tense relationship with the APC establishment. He previously contested the governorship under the party’s platform in 2018 and has often challenged party structures in the state.

A party source told Vanguard that the decision was less about technicalities and more about preventing internal conflict.

“This is more about party stability than technical screening issues,” the source said, suggesting that the leadership aimed to avoid factional crises that have weakened the APC in Ekiti in the past.

In a related move, the NWC also dissolved the APC State Executive Committee in Enugu, a decision widely seen as preparation for the expected defection of Governor Peter Mba from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.