Aspirants Cry Foul, Want Ododo Replaced As Electoral Panel Chair

No fewer than four governorship aspirants of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State have called for the cancellation of the ongoing governorship primary election of the party over alleged fraud perpetrated by the seven-man
APC Electoral Committee
led by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State.

The aspirants, who also asked the national leadership of the party to, as a matter of urgency, remove the chairman of Electoral Committee, noted that they no longer trust in his ability to conduct a free and fair election following the current controversy trailing the exercise.

LEADERSHIP reports that a total of 171,922 accredited members of the party would vote in the direct primary election exercise, scheduled to hold in 203 wards of 18 local government areas, with 16 governorship aspirants, including the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, contesting for the party’s ticket.

Addressing journalists at the BON Hotel in Akure, the state capital on Saturday, the aggrieved aspirants, led Barrister Gbenga Edema, faulted the exercise and warned that the development if not handled well might affect the outcome of the shadow election and the November governorship election.

Edema said, “At the stakeholders meeting held at St. Thomas event centre, the secretary of that committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege said the collection of voting materials which include the membership register, and others will be distributed to the electoral officers whose names he announced to us in each of the 203 wards of Ondo State.

“That they should come to BON Hotel to collect the materials and that accreditation will start by 10am, to be completed by 1pm while voting proper will start by 1pm and end by 2pm, then the announcement of the results.

“As I am talking to you now, this is 10:40am, we’ve been here since 6am, believing that our people will collect the materials but unfortunately, at about 9:30am, His Excellency Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, came out to tell us that materials had been distributed. At what time? In what places? We don’t know!

“Unfortunately, for him, the returning officers and electoral officers of my ward, Mahin Ward II in Ilaje local government are here and unable to collect any material.

“What we are asking for is a credible election. So, we are asking the leadership of the party to look into this. If they’re not ready for this election, they should postpone it and the right thing should be done.”

Also, Sola Ajisafe, who spoke on behalf of another aspirant, Akinterinwa, said; “for APC to bring Ododo to Ondo State is a low to our party and state, and our position is that no primary election has taken place, no election material has left here, and we are saying that the leadership of the party should do the needful by sending another neutral person, just like they did in Edo State to come and conduct another primary election where the good people of Ondo State will freely exercise their franchise to pick their candidate.

“If the leadership of the party failed to do the needful, then there is a way we will react and we are going to react accordingly. If any result is announced, we are telling the leadership of the party, including President Bola Tinubu that no election took place in Ondo State, and no materials were distributed for us to pick our preferred candidate.”

Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, while also speaking on behalf of another aspirant, Olusola Oke, said; “we got here around 6:30am, we don’t know when and where the election materials were sent out from this place to Ondo South and North senatorial districts. The truth of the matter is that there were no materials sent out.

“Why can’t they follow the due process? The national leadership of the party should call Ododo to order, they should follow the guidelines they released.”