- 4 aspirants pass vote of no confidence on Ododo
As the state moves closer to its off-cycle governorship election later this year, the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, held yesterday has been given less than pass mark having been characterized by protests, violence and call for the cancellation of the exercise.
For a start, four aspirants kicked against the conduct of the exercise passing a vote of no confidence on Gov. Ododo of Kogi state who was the umpire in the whole process.
A total of 16 aspirants participated in the contest which was by direct mode of primary elections.
The aggrieved aspirants include Chief Olusola Oke, Hon Olugbenga Edema, Hon Wale Akinterinwa and Prof Dayo Faduyile.
They asked the leadership of the party to cancel the primary conducted by Governor Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State. These four alleged that the umpire had been compromised.
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Besides other irregularities in the primary elections, violence erupted in several cities and towns in the state. Okitipupa, ldanre, Akure, the state capital, Supare and Akoko South-West were notable hotspots of violence during the exercise.
Hon Yinka Akosile, a former councilor in Akure South council area of the state
was reportedly attacked with machete cuts on the head by suspected political thugs who invaded the Obanla ward in Akure metropolis to disrupt and drive away voters.
Political thugs reportedly stormed several voting centres across the state to disrupt the exercise and prevent supporters of some governorship aspirants from voting.
There were widespread reports of complaints on non-distribution of voting materials by the governorship election committee. The four earlier mentioned governorship aspirants said there was no voting material seen in any of the political wards in Ondo, fueling the speculation that the result generated from the election would not be credible.
Also, violence reportedly erupted at Ward 1, Stella Maris College, Okitipupa, as rival supporters of two aspirants clashed.
The violence erupted even before the accreditation and election procedures could commence, prompting panicked voters to flee in search of safety.
Meanwhile, the seven-man Primary Election Committee set up to conduct the shadow poll said that the committee has no predetermined motive but to ensure the credibility of the primary.
The Secretary of the committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, said 172,025 members of the party participated in the exercise.
He said ahead of the election, “We expect a seamless exercise, a very peaceful exercise. It’s a family contest. This is not the general election.
“We are determined to ensure that, at the end of the eight years of APC, we are about to start another eight years of another APC administration.
“We believe that whoever emerges as our flag bearer is going to win the general election, and at best, we have been able to assure all of the aspirants that there should be no bitterness.
Meanwhile, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the shadow election.
Aiyedatiwa, who voted at his Ugbo Ward 4, Obenla in Ilaje council area of the state, expressed confidence in the democratic process and reiterated his commitment to upholding the principles of transparency and fairness in the party’s selection of candidate.
The governor urged all stakeholders to embrace unity and cohesion, emphasizing the need for collective efforts towards advancing the development agenda of Ondo State.
