By Our Reporter
A group identifying itself as Concerned Ise Indigenes, has petitioned the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging the party to conduct due diligence on Mr. Toyin Okoro, who is seeking the party’s ticket for the House of Representatives seat representing Ekiti South Federal Constituency I.
The petition was presented to journalists by APC chieftain Engr. Bayo Babalotin on Thursday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ State Secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
In the letter addressed to the APC National Headquarters in Abuja, the group said it was drawing the party’s attention to concerns about the aspirant’s suitability for the position.
The petition outlines two main allegations. First, it claims that Mr. Okoro was convicted and imprisoned in the United Kingdom for money laundering around 2006 and was subsequently deported.
Second, the petition alleges a conflict of interest arising from Mr. Okoro’s role as a Senior Legislative Aide in the National Assembly while reportedly remaining the sole director of ZAC-LAWRENZ NIG. LTD, according to records from the Corporate Affairs Commission attached to the petition.
It further claims that the company benefited from government contracts worth about N90 million, with payments made into a Wema Bank account that allegedly also receives the aspirant’s official salary.
“The concerns are supported by documentary evidence and are capable of substantiation in a court of law,” the group said. Warning that such information could enter the public domain and be used to undermine both the aspirant’s credibility and the party’s reputation ahead of the elections.
“We present these concerns in good faith and in the collective interest of safeguarding the integrity and electoral strength of our great party,” the letter stated, urging the party to conduct a discreet and thorough investigation before taking further steps on the candidacy.
Speaking at the press briefing, Babalotin said the group had submitted the petition to the party, the state government, the National Assembly, and the screening committee since April 28, 2026, but had not received feedback. He called on the APC National Secretariat to disqualify Okoro, stating, Okoro does not deserve to be a member of the National Assembly.
Babalotin also referenced internal party tensions, alleging bad blood between some actors over the seat, and said the group was seeking to prevent what it described as shoddy arrangements in the primary process.
“We are sure of the people. We are confident of our government. What we want is transparency,” he said.
Addressing why the petition was coming close to the primary, Babalotin said the group had been following up on the matter for months.
“In a situation whereby, with all this time, we have not had any serious feedback, we just have to call attention to it,” he said.
