…..Governor Ododo reacts.
Four governorship aspirants of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have protested poor handling of the ongoing governorship primary election of the party by the seven-man APC Electoral Committee led by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State.
The aspirants, who also asked the national leadership of the party to as a matter of urgency, remove the chairman of Electoral Committee, noted that they no longer trust in his ability to conduct a free and fair primary.
A total of 171,922 accredited members of the party would vote in the direct primary election exercise, scheduled to hold in 203 wards of 18 local government areas, with 16 governorship aspirants, including the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, contesting for the party’s ticket.
Addressing journalists at the BON Hotel in Akure, the state capital on Saturday, the aggrieved aspirants, led Barr. Gbenga Edema, faulted the exercise and warned that the development if not handled well might affect the outcome of the shadow election and the November governorship election.
Edema said, “At the stakeholders meeting held at St. Thomas event centre, the secretary of that committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege said the collection of voting materials which include the membership register, and others will be distributed to the electoral officers whose names he announced to us in each of the 203 wards of Ondo State.
“That they should come to BON Hotel to collect the materials and that accreditation will start by 10am, to be completed by 1pm while voting proper will start by 1pm and end by 2pm, then the announcement of the results.
Also, Sola Ajisafe, who claimed to have spoken on behalf of another aspirant, Wale Akinterinwa, said; “for APC to bring Ododo to Ondo State is a low to our party and state, and our position is that no primary election has taken place, no election material has left here, and we are saying that the leadership of the party should do the needful by sending another neutral person, just like they did in Edo State to come and conduct another primary election where the good people of Ondo State will freely exercise their franchise to pick their candidate.
“If the leadership of the party failed to do the needful, then there is a way we will react and we are going to react accordingly. If any result is announced, we are telling the leadership of the party, including President Bola Tinubu that no election took place in Ondo State, and no materials were distributed for us to pick our preferred candidate.”
Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, while also speaking on behalf of another aspirant, Olusola Oke, said; “we got here around 6:30am, we don’t know when and where the election materials were sent out from this place to Ondo South and North senatorial districts. The truth of the matter is that there were no materials sent out.
“Why can’t they follow the due process? The national leadership of the party should call Ododo to order, they should follow the guidelines they released.”
Responding to the aggrieved aspirants, Governor Ododo who chaired the primary committee, said the election materials had earlier be distributed to various political wards in Ondo North and Ondo South senatorial districts.
The Governor said the party would ensure credible process.
