Ondo 2016: Tinubu, APC Govs Supporting Akeredolu-Okorocha

The Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum, who is also the Imo State Governor, Mr. Rochas Okorocha, has declared that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and all the APC governors in the country are behind the candidate of the party in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

Tinubu and some governors of the party had shunned the inauguration of the campaign of the party in Akure last Thursday where the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, presented the party’s flag to Akeredolu.

But Okorocha explained that there was no division among the leaders  of the APC over the emergence of Akeredolu as the governorship candidate of the party in Ondo.

Okorocha, who spoke with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Tuesday during a solidarity visit, said all the leaders would meet the aggrieved members of the party to resolve all their grievances.

He also assured party members that the APC would win the November 26 election.

He said, “We are not jittery, but we are concerned. We are not happy that we are losing some of our illustrious members of the APC. I will call on them to please make haste and come back.

“Those who are aggrieved by any means should please come back. Sometimes, it is about communication, if the right communication was dispatched, I don’t think this would have happened. Everybody is still with him (Akeredolu), Bola Tinubu is still with him, the Ogun, Osun, Lagos, Oyo governors are with him. The problem is that, like in all families, we have a communication gap. We are all together and by the grace of God, Ondo State will be APC-compliant.

“The Igbo people will support him not because he is our in-law, but because he is a good man. The PDP and the AD candidates are strong but I know we will win.”

Earlier, at the palace of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, Okorocha had said that all the APC governors had met and resolved to work for the victory of the party and its candidate in the forthcoming governorship election.

He said, “Your majesty, just to announce to you that I am here on behalf of all the APC governors in Nigeria, we are now 23 in number, all of us are together.

“We are just here to support our in-coming colleague. Let me correct one impression, all the APC governors met and have resolved to support our candidate, there is no division in our family, and the APC is still one.

“That is why the father of the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari,  will be coming on Saturday, and will address the people of the state to clear the air to those who doubt the unity of our party. We are united.”

“What brought us together is not interest to acquire power but the interest to bring the necessary change for the economic emancipation of our great nation.

“So, I am here to inform you that I came and Aketi has been chosen by all of us and we are solidly behind him, we are unshakably behind him.”

In his response, Oba Aladetoyinbo assured the governor that the people of Akure were behind the APC candidate.

He said the town would be preparing to host the President on Saturday.

After leaving the palace, Okorocha addressed members of the Igbo community in the state where he urged them to vote for the APC and Akeredolu.

PUNCH