Ondo APC Primary, Show of Shame-PDP

Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described as charade the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary held on Saturday to produce a candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

The Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kennedy Peretei in a statement described as a mockery of democracy the primary of the ruling party.

Peretei said it was unfortunate that the APC raked in a handsome sum of N830m from aspirants and could not produce a candidate from the 16 aspirants that purchased the nomination forms.

According to him, 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.

Peretei said a party that could not conduct its affairs and conducts credible elections among its members should not be allowed to continue beyond the eight years given to late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

His words “Four years ago, former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, 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 a direct or indirect primary. That was the exercise that produced former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as the candidate of the APC for the 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 centers where elections were supposed to be held, there were no election materials, nor were their officials to conduct the exercise. The Akure City Hall, one of the supposed centers was empty as of 1.00 pm.

“Instead, there were reported cases of violence in Akure South and Okitipupa Local Government Areas, where political thugs had a field day. In one of the videos that was seen online to create the impression that the exercise was held, the returning officer counted to 400 and jumped to 560. Some of the aspirants have since called for the cancellation of the exercise.

“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 PDP will once again demonstrate its superior organisational 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. As of the early hours of today, journalists were still waiting for the outcome of the charade that Usman Ododo and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege called a primary election in Ondo State.”