Ododo declares Ondo APC governorship primary inconclusive

Ododo declares Ondo APC governorship primary inconclusive

The Chairman of the seven-member committee for the conduct of the Ondo State All Progressives Congress governorship primaries, Usman Ododo, has declared the exercise inconclusive.

The primaries, held across 203 wards in the 18 local government areas of the state, witnessed some disruptions in parts of the state.

Mr Ododo, who is also the governor of Kogi State, said elections will continue in Okitipupa on Sunday, the area where violence was reported to have disrupted the process.

In a statement on Saturday night, Mr Ododo said having received reports of the primary election from the 203 Wards in the 18 Local Governments of Ondo State, the primary election committee decided that fresh elections would be conducted in all the 13 wards of Okitipupa Local Government Area.

“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 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,” he said.

“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.”

Okitipupa is a stronghold of one of the aspirants and serving senator, Jimoh Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, five governorship aspirants of the party had called for the cancellation of the primary election of the party over alleged irregularities.

They are Olusola Oke, Olugbenga Edema, Wale Akinterinwa, Dayo Faduyile and Jimi Odimayo.

They asked the leadership of the APC to remove Mr Ododo as chairman of the electoral committee and repeat the process.

In separate statements, the aspirants alleged that there were no elections in the wards and that materials were not available at voting centres.

Not fewer than 16 aspirants contested the primaries, including the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has mocked the APC over the conduct of the primaries.

PDP spokesperson Kennedy Peretei, in a statement on Sunday morning, said the APC primary was a huge charade and a mockery of democracy.

“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,” said Mr Peretei.

“Four years ago, former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) for N85 billion fraud, presided over a similar event in Akure, where none of the aspirants, sighted the Delegates list before the primary.

“As of the morning of the election, it was not clear whether it was going to be Direct or Indirect primary. That was the exercise that produced former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as candidate of the APC for 2020 Governorship election.

“This time, Gov Ahmed Usman Ododo, Bello’s successor in office has wrecked more havoc than his boss.

“Journalists who tried to monitor the primary were shocked that in almost all the centres that elections were supposed to hold, there were no election materials, neither were there officials to conduct the exercise. The Akure City Hall, one of the supposed centres was empty as of 1.00 p.m.

“Instead, there were reported cases of violence in Akure South and Okitipupa Local Government Areas, where political thugs had a field day.

“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 is a shame that the APC cannot bring only one of their sixteen aspirants to square up with other political parties in the general election through a process that is above board. That alone is an affirmation that, the party should be consigned to the dustbin of history, where it rightfully belongs.

“The Peoples Democratic Party (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.”