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ONDO 2024: “APC DIDN’T CONDUCT GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARY POLL IN ONDO”, SAYS OKE CAMPAIGN ORGANISATION
Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, Campagin Organisation has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed to conduct a governorship primary election in all the 203 wards in the state.
Oke is one of the governorship aspirants who are seeking the APC ticket for the November 16, governorship election in the state.
It added that members of the election committee headed by the Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo only take a late “stroll” out of their hotel rooms, where they were dining and winning.
A statement issued and signed by its spokesman, Mr Ojo Oyewamide also revealed that election materials were not distributed to the 203 wards across the State, as expected and assured by the election committee.
The Statement added that “Members of APC, who are eligible to vote for their preferred aspirants, did not have the opportunity to do so. Many of them queued in the sun till 3:00 pm, waiting for the conduct of the shadow poll.
“At another instance, regrettably enough, the election officers that were to conduct the exercise in the wards are known supporters of one of the aspirants. These people were kept in one hotel where they were to perpetrate all sorts of evil, to compromise the process of choosing the candidate of our party.
“Virtually all the guidelines put in place to ensure the integrity and smooth conduct of the nomination exercise, reinforced by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who stood in for HE Usman Ododo at the stakeholders’ engagement held on Friday 19th April, 2024, were violated by the election committee.
“In a return to the dark days of thuggery in Ondo State, our supporters, and supporters of other aspirants, were beaten, intimidated and chased away from most of the designated voting centres by known political thugs and secret cult members hired by one of the aspirants. This level of violence has turned hospitals to the abode of our supporters and other members of our party.
“The ignominious attack of a senior correspondent with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Tayo Ikujuni, by a cabinet member in Ondo State, Saka Yusuf Ogunleye, was symptomatic of the climate of fear and terror visited on innocent but supportive members of APC across the state.
“It is instructive that Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, has directed Media Houses and professionals in Ondo State to halt the coverage of the activities of the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye.
“Therefore, we like to state, very categorically, that no primary election was conducted by the APC in Ondo state today, Saturday, 20, 2024. Rather, what happened was shameful, and it constituted a serious dent on the image of our dear party.
“We expected that a decent nomination exercise, characterised by peace, freedom of our members to make their choices and fairness, would be conducted. We waited patiently for it, however, what we got was heart-rendering.
“We, therefore, appeal to all our supporters across the eighteen local government areas of the state to remain peaceful and calm as we wait further briefing from our members across the state and our principal”.
Fresh insights have revealed why former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has yet to officially defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), even as many of his loyalists have already abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling party.
Sources close to the situation told “News Eyes Daily” that Mimiko, the PDP leader in Ondo State, is awaiting a “green light” from the Presidential Villa before formally announcing his move to the APC.
Mimiko, who governed Ondo State for eight years is reportedly aiming to make his defection a national event rather than a state-level affair.
According to insiders, Mimiko is in talks with his allies within the APC to arrange for a high-profile reception by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and key national leaders of the party at the Presidential Villa.
He is said to have already instructed his supporters to return to their local wards and officially exit the PDP for the APC.
Last Saturday, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, reportedly met with several of Mimiko’s loyalists at the Governor’s office in Akure.
Among those present were Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, Engr. Gboye Adegbenro, Arc. Olajide Adejuyigbe, Hon. Joseph Akinlaja, Barr. Tunde Atere, Ms. Taiye Afilaka, and Omooba Eni Akinsola.
One source revealed, “It is true that Mimiko has directed his followers to join the APC. While his body remains in the PDP, his soul is already with the APC. They have become political wanderers since 2014 when he rejoined PDP from LP. Mimiko dumped PDP for ZLP where he contested for the senate which he lost in the 2019 general elections. He and his followers returned to the PDP in 2021, and they are now joining APC.
“Mimiko views the APC as a platform to revive his political career and wishes to be accorded the respect he believes he deserves.
“It is an insult that he will now decamp in Akure where he will be received by the State Chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin or Aiyedatiwa. Mimiko is a national figure that will add value to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections”.
The former governor is reportedly seeking a reception similar to that of other notable defectors, such as former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Pius Anyim and ex-Katsina Governor Ibrahim Shema, both of whom were welcomed by President Tinubu at the Villa, bypassing state-level receptions.
Mimiko’s defection is seen as a strategic move, possibly aimed at leveraging the recent passing of former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, to assume a significant leadership role within the APC.
As the only living former governor in the state, Mimiko may see this as an opportunity to reassert his influence without needing the current governor’s endorsement to access the party’s national apparatus.
However, insiders suggest that Mimiko is still awaiting confirmation on whether he will receive the presidential reception he desires, which is delaying his official switch to the APC.
His past as a political ally of Tinubu, followed by a rift when he supported the PDP and attempted to weaken the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), adding a complex layer to his anticipated defection.
