50 aspirants battle for Ondo APC guber ticket

 

At least, no fewer than 50 All Progressives Congress (APC), aspirants have declared interest to run for the governorship election in Ondo State.

More aspirants are still expected to emerge and the situation, it was learnt, is giving the party’s leadership serious concern, trying hard to see how a governorship candidate will emerge without raising tension in the party.

Investigation shows there is open desperation for power among APC aspirants, a situation that has left the leaders fearing a possible post-primary crisis in the state.

Many of the aspirants are sure of securing the party’s ticket and for that are not interested in consensus or imposition of candidate by the party’s leadership.

According to the chairman of the party, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke, the party has no anointed aspirant and will not play politics of imposing a candidate on the others, adding that the party would take the necessary procedures to ensure the candidate emerged through a free, fair and credible primary.

He said, “Even though the responsibility of organising primary elections rests on the National Executive Council members, the election will be free, fair and transparent and whoever will emerge victorious, will win fairly, while those who will lose will also lose fairly.

“This would make the election credible as the party would do everything within its power to ensure a free, fair and transparent primary. It is within the rights of any member to support any aspirant of his or her choice, but no individual has the power to impose any candidate on the party, not even the chairman, the deputy chairman or the secretary has such powers.”

Among the leading aspirants of the party include, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Mr. Segun Abraham, Chief Olusola Oke, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Olabimtan, Mr. Bode Ayorinde and Chief Bukola Adetula.

This interest for governorship election is coming when 27 state governors across the country are unable to pay workers salaries.