* APC reschedules exercise in council
By Nudoiba Ojen
The People’s Democratic Party in Ondo State has mocked the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, in the state over the conduct of Saturday’s governorship primary election.
The PDP, in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, described the APC governorship primary election as “a huge charade, “an anticlimax and a mockery of democracy.
“If the APC cannot conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible primary election for 171,922 of their members, they should perish the idea of presiding over the affairs of Ondo State beyond the eight years in which they have practically stagnated the state,” it stated.
The opposition party said, “The PDP, Ondo State Chapter will once again demonstrate its superior organizational sagacity and democratic credentials this week, through a Governorship Primary Election that will be covered live by media houses and Non-Governmental Organizations in the full glare of the world”.
It regretted that “the over hyped APC Governorship Primary Election in Ondo State turned out to be a huge charade and a mockery of democracy in every sense of the word.
“The National headquarters of APC raked in a handsome sum of N830m from unsuspecting aspirants who took photographs with their Nomination Forms in Abuja with their supporters.
”Little did they know that, the exercise would be an anticlimax and their aspirations to occupy the number one seat in the State completely eclipsed and all the efforts headed for the dustbin.
“The signs that all would not be well emerged 48 hours before the primary when five of the aspirants petitioned the APC National Headquarters about irregularities on the accredited members for the primary.
* APC reschedules election in council
Meanwhile, the Chairman, the chairman of the Ondo Primary Election Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, said, “The process has been transparent and we are going to produce a candidate that will unify the APC ahead of the November 2024 governorship election in the state.”
However, following the late arrival of materials and personnel to 13 wards in Okitipupa council area of Ondo state, the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee has rescheduled the exercise for Sunday, April, 21.
A statement by the chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, in Akure, said that the primary in Okitipupa Council area was rescheduled following logistics reasons.
He said, “Having received reports of the primary election from the 203 Wards in the 18 Local Governments of Ondo State, the Primary election Committee has decided that election will be conducted in all the 13 Wards of Okitipupa Local Government with total validated registered members of 9,515.
“This is because of validated reports that the exercise did not hold in the local government due to late arrival of materials and personnel as a result of logistics challenges.
“Election in Okitipupa Local Government shall be conducted 12 noon on Sunday 21st April 2024. The final collation of the results will be done thereafter,” Ododo said.
16 governorship aspirants participated in the exercise, conducted by a seven member committee, headed by the Kogi state governor, Usman Ododo.
