Ondo APC Chairman Suspended Over Tinubu’s Endorsement Of Candidate

By Dayo Johnson
Akure – BARELY eleven days to the governorship primaries of the All Progressive Congress APC in Ondo state, the. Party Chairman Hon Isaac Kekemeke was Friday suspended for anti party activities by some members of the party.
An acting chairman Saka Yusuf was immediately appointed by the party members ostensibly acting the script of some aggrieved governorship aspirants of the party.
The crisis within the party deepened following the alleged endorsement of one of the 25 aspirants who collected nomination form by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The supporters of the governorship aspirants and leaders of the party literally sacked the state executive members by sealing off the party secretariat in Akure.
As early as 8am, the protesters from the 18 council areas of the state invaded and barricaded the secretariat along Oyemekun road in Akure metropolis chatting solidarity songs.
They displayed various placards which reads: “State Minus Kekemeke Equals Victory; No Impostor, No Imposition, No Endorsement; Kekemeke Is A Mole in APC; Kekemeke Is An Unrepentant Sinner; APC Plus Kekemeke Equals Failure,” among others.
But in a swift response, Kekemeke who described his removal as a drama said that he would neither be blackmailed nor be intimidated by ” some privileged members of the party who wants to hijack the party for their selfish interest”
“Those behind protest are those who want to impose their way on the majority, they are desperate members of the party that want to hijack the party.
Kekemeke described his sack as blackmail by privilege few who want their decision to override the majority. It’s a drama that’s good for the season.
But while addressing newsmen during the protest, their spokespersons, Tolu Babaleye, Francis Adelokiki and Gbenga Ajayi kicked against imposition of candidate ahead of the August 27 governorship primaries.
Babaleye accused Kekemeke of enforcing the endorsement of one of the 25 aspirants of the party as the candidate in the primary poll, as being directed by their National leader, Senator Ahmed Tinubu.
“Since he came back from Lagos, Kekemeke has made serious efforts to enforce the endorsement. Kekemeke openly informed the state executive committee that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has endorsed an aspirant and has instructed him to tell the leaders and delegates.”
They also accused Kekemeke of undermining the chances of the party in the November 26 governorship poll, saying he “manipulated the delegate list of almost all the wards and local government areas in Ondo State.
Babaleye said that they have resolved that “That Kekemeke must not be allowed to conduct the primary election since he has compromised his office and that the list of delegates submitted to the National Secretariat is wantonly manipulated and is a cancer to a free, fair and credible primary election.
“That Kekemeke is hereby suspended to pave way for free, fair and credible primary election; that an officer of the party from the National Secretariat of APC in Abuja be appointed to conduct the primary election since Kekemeke has shown himself to be an unbiased person who cannot guarantee a free, fair and credible primary election.
“That as a prelude to the primary election of APC, a genuine delegate list used for the 2014 primary election of the National and State Assembly elections be made available to all the aspirants.
Meanwhile, Kekemeke in his response to an alleged endorsement of a particular aspirant by Asiwaju Tinubu said ” “Let them face the real issue,let endorsement contend with endorsement,let money contend with money, let influence contend with influence, let mobilization contend with mobilization, and let us go to the field and elect whoever wins”