Some of the aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants in Ondo State who ran in the April 20 primary election have accepted the results and pledged their support for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa ahead of the November 16 election.
These aspirants who dumped the aggrieved’s camp include Ifeoluwa Oyedele, Diran Iyatan, and Soji Ehinlanwo.
The APC shadow election had been rejected by the majority of the 16 who participated in the exercise.
They accused members of the election committee, led by Usman Ododo, of allocating figures to aspirants from hotel rooms.
INEC officials who observed the poll claimed that the party failed to hold elections in the majority of the state’s local governments.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim had already approached a federal high court in Abuja for redress.
However, in an interview with the state-owned newspaper “The Hope,” Oyedele, Iyatan, and Ehinlanwo emphasised their commitment to putting the party’s interests ahead of personal ambitions and promised to ensure the governor’s victory in the upcoming election.
They also affirmed that the party’s success in the election is paramount, placing it above all other interests.
The trio called for unity towards victory in the election, praising the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje’s efforts to address post-primary issues for the party’s benefit.
They urged all levels of party leadership to address grievances as soon as possible in order to promote party unity.
Oyedele particularly vowed to support the party’s unity and interests, prioritizing them over personal considerations.
According to him, “I will not participate in anything that will scatter the party. It is compulsory for me to put aside my own individual considerations and look at the corporate needs and requirements. If I had emerged as the candidate of my party, will I not expect other aspirants and members to work with me? The answer is yes. I will allow them to work with me.
“Whatever happens, I’m one of the founders of this party. I was in the labour room when this party was being delivered. I was given the opportunity as the man who designed the Logo of the party and accepted by all the stakeholders as the largest party in Africa and till today,”.
Ehinlanwo called for a pragmatic approach, urging Governor Aiyedatiwa to reconcile with other aspirants outside his camp.
He pledged his support to work with the governor towards this goal.
Similarly, Iyantan, emphasizing his loyalty to the party, stated his commitment to not support any anti-APC activities.
He appealed to the aggrieved to accept the party’s decision and support its candidate in the upcoming election.
“We have met and agreed to work with him. I’m a party man to the core, and I will not encourage anything that will bring problem to the party. But we are advising Mr Governor to stoop to conquer, he should humble himself and reach out to other aspirants. He should caution his supporters from avoidable frenzy of jubilation, so as not to add insult to injury.
“Mr. President has the charisma and the wherewithal to call everybody to order, and it will be very effective. And anybody who acts contrary after the President’s intervention can be seen as unnecessarily stubborn.
“But some of us who are founding members of the party will not like anything that will hurt the party. I have moved on and appealed to my supporters not to do anything that will hurt the interest of the party. We wish everything would be amicably resolved in the interest of our teeming supporters and the party,” he said.
Iyantan particularly called on the President and the national leadership of the party to look for a holistic reconciliation that will not jeopardize the bright chances of APC in the forthcoming election.
