APC aspirants: No primaries in Ondo, don’t declare any candidate

There was protest in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday by the concerned All Progressives Congress(APC) aspirants from Ondo North and Central over alleged plan to manipulate the primary election.

The aggrieved Aspirants for the Houses of Representatives and Assembly numbering 14 accused the leadership of the party in the state of not conducting the primary elections in all constituencies in Ondo Central and North Senatorial Districts.

Among the protesters are Aribo Olayato,Omosule Eniolorunda,Dr Olajide Owoka,Fadairo Dennis,Kenneth Olawale,Tayo Oluwatuyi and Mayokun Lawson-Alade.

Others are Bisi Adanri,Ibitoye Oluwole,Banji Akinkeye,Olasunkanmi Ojo,Oluwarotimi Abitogun, Kabiru Hassan and Bosun Ogunleye.

According to Olayato, an Aspirant for Owo/Ose federal constituency who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, on October 4,the APC state chairman, Ade Adetimehin invited all of them to meet with the Election Committee members at the party’s secretariat.

However, he said, none of the committee members turned up for the exercise.

Olayato said Adetimehin consequently informed them that elections into the Senate, House of Representatives and Assembly would hold last Friday, which prompted them to make preparations for the election.

”On the said date, we mobilized our supporters and agents in all the wards in our respective constituencies, with all party members who were supposed to vote for us converging in all the wards to exercise their franchise”.

He however lamented that after assigning agents to all the wards, in their respective constituencies, reports came from the field agents that primary elections did not hold in all the wards.

Besides, Olayato said no INEC officials were on ground as observers, stressing that it was later learnt that some government functionaries directed that the electorate should be dispersed on the claim that the governor had concluded arrangements for the exercise in all the constituencies.

The aspirant alleged that the election officers and INEC have been compromised by the state government.

“Any attempt by the state leadership of the APC to declare certain aspirants as candidates in all the constituencies without primary election would amount to flagrant rape of democracy, which could cause disaffection within the ruling party”.