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Ahead of the Ondo state governorship Primary on Saturday, April, 20, a group within the All Progressives Congress called the Ondo Vanguard for Good Governance has accused party leaders of not abiding by APC norms.
INEC confirmed that sixteen candidates would take part in the Ondo APC governorship primary on Saturday, April 20.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the group's coordinator, Mr. Tade Ojo, said that the party officials who were dispatched from the national office of the party to oversee the exercise had not held the delegate congress, which was set to take place on Monday.
In accordance with the directives of the ruling party, he felt that the delegate congress ought to take place prior to the primary.
He declared that the national officers allegedly violated the party’s guidelines in a bid to rig the forthcoming primary in favour of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Ojo said, “We have come to tell the entire people of Ondo State, the national leadership of the APC and all Nigerians that all the processes that ought to lead to a free, fair and credible primary election in Ondo State have been violated by the party officials sent by the APC to Ondo State.
“Members of the public are, hereby, put on notice that the APC is again treading the path of perversion and corruption of the electoral process, and it will have itself to blame if the hawks at work are allowed to have their way.
The APC guidelines stipulated that validation of party members, whose names are in the party register as of 2021, should have been held about a week ago or thereabouts, and ought to be preceded by delegates congress of the party.
He said, “It is worrisome that the delegate congress that ought to have been held on Monday, 15th of April, was not held in the 203 designated centres for the exercise. Members of the APC, who obtained forms and offered themselves for the exercise, were not allowed to participate because the delegate congress was never held.
However, the Ondo State APC Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaiye, denied the allegation, saying the delegate congress was held on Tuesday but was delayed following the late arrival of party officials from the national secretariat.
Kalejaiye said, “We had the delegate congress yesterday . Those from the national secretariat who were supposed to come on Sunday had their flight cancelled, so they were delayed.
They came yesterday and started the process but they must first meet with the committee that would coordinate the delegate congress.
“They finished the meeting with the committee and they also met the representatives of all the aspirants. So the exercise was not cancelled. We have also informed INEC, but they don’t want to start without letting the governorship aspirants know.”
