Ondo Governorship Election: Another Crisis Looms In APC Over Deputy Gov. Slot

By Dayo Johnson Akure
ANOTHER crisis is looming in the troubled All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State as some notable leaders of the party kicked against the choice of Mr Agboola Ajayi as the running mate of the party’s candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN. This is coming as one of the frontline aspirants in the September 3 governorship primaries, Olusola Oke dumped the APC for Alliance for Democracy, AD. Oke said he has the support of APC leaders to contest for the governorship election on the platform of the AD.
Meanwhile, APC leaders who kicked against Agboola as deputy governor include Hon Bola Ilori and a septuagenarian, Chief Samuel Ikujuni. They said the choice of Ajayi as the deputy governorship candidate would spell doom for the party if the leadership failed to substitute him before the deadline allowed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They said: “Even when the NWC just upheld the fraudulent primaries that produced Akeredolu, the nexus of fraud in the party is trying to perpetrate another fraud to enforce the initial fraud. And while we are still on the fraudulent primaries through fake delegates and delegates’ list padding that produced Akeredolu as the candidate, another fraud is also being foisted on the party as the deputy governor. This is a man whose election was annulled by the courts for certificate forgery.” They said that Ajayi should not be allowed as the running mate because he is from Kiribo in Eseodo Local Government, the same town and Council Area of the mother of Akeredolu.
Why I left APC — OKE
Meanwhile, Oke said his “defection was necessitated by the injustice perpetrated by some leaders of the party over the primary election of the party.” Oke said: “I was the first person to raise alarm over the giant fraud in that primary. I was later vindicated by the appeal committee which ruled that the primary be cancelled and a new one conducted where a popular candidate will emerge. But Oyegun and his cabal proceeded to submit that name to the INEC thereby killing the dream and the vision of Ondo state people in APC to have a true change they have been yearning for.” Oke is a political harlot — APC Reacting to Oke’s defection to the Alliance for Democracy, AD, the APC described him as a “political harlot, who jumps around from one party to another for selfish interest.”
The party, however, assured its members across the state that the defection “will not affect the chances of the party in the November 26, governorship poll.” Labour leaders endorse Jegede to succeed Mimiko Similarly, Labour leaders in Ondo State have thrown their weight behind the candidature of the Mr Eyitayo Jegede.
The labour leaders expressed their confidence in the ability of Jegede to deliver on his electioneering campaign promises at a meeting the PDP standard-bearer held with head teachers across the state at the Labour House in Akure, the Ondo State capital at the weekend. Present at the meeting were representatives of head teachers across the state in their hundreds who used the forum to bare their minds on expectations from Mr Jegede if elected as Governor Mimiko’s successor. Speaking through its State Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, the party said none of his core members defected along with him to AD.
“We are relieved that Oke has finally left our great party, we can now sleep with our two eyes closed. The fear of mole in our party has vanished, we can now hold political discussion without fear of betrayal. “This forthcoming elections will be a contest of integrity versus valueless images, we are sure that the people of Ondo State are watching and they ready to follow the path of integrity. We thank God that our party is finally free from pretenders, those who love their ambitions than the good people of Ondo State.”
Meanwhile, the candidate of the PDP in the state, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, said that the party would defend her vote during the forthcoming election.

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