TWO aspirants and the representatives of two other contenders have expressed concerns about the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for the Ondo governorship elections.
They claimed that the process is being manipulated to favor certain candidates.
One of the aspirants, Olugbenga Edema, criticized the delays in material distribution and called for an investigation into the process, suggesting that if the party is not ready for a fair election, it should be postponed.
He highlighted discrepancies in the conduct of the exercise as per the outlined schedule.
“At about 9:30 am, His Excellency, the Governor of Kogi State, (Usman) Ododo, came out to tell us that materials have been distributed. At what time? In what places? We don’t know,” said an upset Edema.
“Unfortunately for him, the returning officer and the electoral officer of my ward; in Ward 2, Ilaje Local Government Area, who are residents in Ibadan — I told them to come here today so that they can collect the materials of my ward. Now they are here. They have not been able to collect the materials.
“And he has the effrontery to tell us, all the other aspirants, that materials have been collected and results are being announced at 10 o’clock when accreditation should ordinarily start. So, we have asked him questions and he rushed out because he had no answer to our questions.”
Rotimi Williams, the agent for another aspirant, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Olushola Oke, echoed same sentiment, emphasizing the need for due process and warned against result manipulation.
The Olusola Oke Campaign Organization labeled the exercise as a “sham,” alleging that no proper primary election took place and describing the events as undemocratic, with reports of violence and intimidation.
“The truth is that no primary election was conducted. What happened in all the 203 wards in Ondo state can be described as a sham. It defies all descriptions of decency and democratic conduct,” the spokesperson of the Olusola Oke Campaign Organisation Ojo Oyewamide said.
“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,” the statement read.
Shola Ajisafe, representing Adewale Akinterinwa, supported these claims and called for a transparent and fair election process, suggesting the removal of the Kogi Governor as the leader of the election committee.
“My people have been calling me. No material has been distributed to them,” Ajisafe who is from Ondo North said, accusing Governor Ododo of working in favour of a candidate.
He added, “Any act or action that reduces the capacity for our people to openly and freely exercise their democratic rights is anti-democratic.”
In contrast, Governor Ododo defended the credibility of the exercise, stating that it was transparent and would produce a candidate to unify the APC for the upcoming governorship election.
Sixteen candidates, including Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, are contending for the party’s ticket in the November 16, 2024, governorship election.
The primary mode chosen by the APC is direct, and it is set to occur simultaneously in 203 wards across the 18 local government areas of the state, involving 171,922 party members.
Fourteen of the aspirants are male, and two are female, with the majority of them hailing from Ondo South.
