‘Ondo guber primary, a dent on APC’s image’- Olusola Oke cries out 

‘Ondo guber primary, a dent on APC’s image’- Olusola Oke cries out 

Joel Oladele, Abuja 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Ondo State took a tumultuous turn today as Chief Olusola Oke joined some other aspirants who had earlier criticized the process, labeling it a “sham” and a departure from democratic norms.

In a scathing statement released by the spokesperson for Olusola Oke Campaign Organisation, Ojo Oyewamide, serious allegations of irregularities, violence, and a blatant disregard for democratic principles were leveled against the election committee and certain actors within the APC.

Oyewamide asserted that no primary election took place despite the purported conduct by the election committee led by the governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo. Instead, he described the events as a “simulated functionality” where election materials were not distributed to the 203 wards as promised. 

This failure, according to him, led to widespread disenfranchisement of APC members who had gathered to participate in the process.

The statement further accused election officers of bias, alleging that they were supporters of a specific aspirant and were housed in a single hotel to manipulate the exercise. This claim added fuel to the fire of controversy surrounding the primary, as it suggested a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the nomination process.

The statement partly read:

“The Olusola Oke Campaign Organisation will like to make its observations known before the whole world is deceived that gubernatorial primary election was conducted today in Ondo state by the All Progressives Congress (APC), as expected.

“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.

“It is our observation that members of the Ododo-led primary election committee, constituted to conduct the nomination exercise, merely simulated active functionality by taking a late “stroll” out of their hotel rooms, where they were dining and wining. The primary election materials were not distributed to the 203 wards across the State, as expected and assured by the election committee.

“Members of APC, who are eligible to vote for their preferred aspirants, did not have the opportunity to do so. Many of them queued in the sun till 3:00 pm, waiting for the conduct of the shadow poll.

“At another instance, regrettably enough, the election officers that were to conduct the exercise in the wards are known supporters of one of the aspirants. These people were kept in one hotel where they were to perpetrate all sorts of evil, to compromise the process of choosing the candidate of our party.

“Virtually all the guidelines put in place to ensure the integrity and smooth conduct of the nomination exercise, reinforced by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who stood in for HE Usman Ododo at the stakeholders’ engagement held on Friday 19th April, 2024, were violated by the election committee.

“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. This  level of violence has turned hospitals to the abode of our supporters and other members of our party.”

Highlighting the descent into violence, Oyewamide lamented the use of political thugs and cult members to intimidate and assault supporters of various aspirants, including incidents of assault against journalists. The attack on a senior correspondent from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by a government official exemplified the atmosphere of fear and lawlessness that marred the primary election.

“The ignominious attack of a senior correspondent with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Tayo Ikujuni, by a cabinet member in Ondo State, Saka Yusuf Ogunleye, was symptomatic of the climate of fear and terror visited on innocent but supportive members of APC across the state.  

“It is instructive that Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, has directed Media Houses and professionals in Ondo State to halt the coverage of the activities of the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye.

“Therefore, we like to state, very categorically, that no primary election was conducted by the APC in Ondo state today, Saturday, 20, 2024. Rather, what happened was shameful, and it constituted a serious dent on the image of our dear party,” Oyewamide stated.

He therefore called for calm among APC supporters while awaiting further guidance  and urged for a thorough investigation into the events that transpired during the primary election.

The allegations raised by Olusola Oke campaign organization have cast a shadow of doubt over the credibility and fairness of the APC’s gubernatorial primary in Ondo State, signaling potential challenges and disputes within the party as it navigates the path towards selecting its candidate for the upcoming elections.