APC leaders, Tinubu disagree over governorship candidate
- APC leaders in Ondo state deny reports that, national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is planning to impose a candidate on the party ahead of the August 27 primary election
- The party leaders say there is no room for the imposition of any candidate at the forthcoming primary
- Dr. Tunji Abayomi, APC guber aspirant, claims Tinubu summoned all the party’s leaders to Lagos, where he directed them to ensure that Dr. Segun Abraham emerges as the party's candidate
Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 18 local government areas of Ondo state have dismissed claims that the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, ordered them to support his ‘anointed’ governorship aspirant, Dr Segun Abraham, ahead of the party’s August 27 primary election.
The reaction of the APC local government chairmen comes on the heels of an allegation by one of the governorship aspirants of the party, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, who claimed that Tinubu summoned all the party’s leaders, including the chairmen of the party at the local government level to Lagos, where he directed them to ensure that Dr. Segun Abraham emerges as the candidate of the party at the primary.
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But according to the chairmen, they neither met Tinubu nor endorsed any aspirant ahead of the August 27 governorship primary in Ondo state.
Speaking to journalists in Akure on Thursday, August 11, the local government chairmen said that they were not ordered to support any aspirant, adding that there would be no room for the imposition of any candidate at the forthcoming primary, The Punch reports.
Rasheed Badmos, the APC Chairman, Akoko North-West local government, who read the communiqué signed by all the 18 chairmen at the end of their monthly meeting, affirmed that only a free, fair and credible primary could make the party win the November 26 governorship election.
The statement read: “We wish to state emphatically that we, the local government chairmen of the APC in Ondo state, hereby dissociate ourselves from the allegation. We know that if this information that the leader (Tinubu) is planning to impose a candidate is true, it is not only worrisome, rather, it will spell electoral doom for our great party in Ondo state.
“We wish to appeal to the national secretariat of our great party to wade in and ensure that the conduct of a credible primary must not be compromised and the delegates’ list of the state congress of 2014 must not be doctored.”
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They reminded the party’s leadership at the state and national levels that the party must not renege on the assurance to conduct a free and fair primary.
The 18 council chairmen also declared that there would not be any alteration of the delegates’ list, maintaining that the list used for the 2014 state congress of the party which produced them and the current state executive would be used for the primary.
Twenty-five aspirants are set to jostle for the APC governorship ticket ahead of the party’s primary election on Sunday, August 27.
The 25 aspirants include Ajayi Borrofice, Olusegun Abraham, Olusola Oke, Rotimi Akeredolu, Tayo Alasoadura, Jumoke Anifowose, Gboye Oyewumi, Bode Ayorinde, Olabimtan Victor and Paul Akintelure.
Others are Jamiu Ekungba, Ademola Adegoroye, Akinwale Akingbade, Apata Awodeyi, Akinrinsola Odunayo, Derin Adesida, Tunji Abayomi, Bukola Adetula, Niyi Adegbonmire, Foluso Adeyemi, Ayo Akinyelure, Dele Alade, Akinola Olayinka, Tunji Light Ariyomi and Moyosola Niran Oladunni.
Source: Legit.ng
