Ondo LG Poll: APC Members Allege State Leadership Of Injustice…Threaten To Shut Down Secretariat

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state took a disturbing dimension on Tuesday as members who had in 2018 obtained forms for the elective positions in the forthcoming local government election have vowed to shut down the party Secretariat over what they called injustice on the part of the state Executive Working Committee.

CityMirrorNews gathered that some disgruntled aspirants had obtained forms and the processes at the party level had got to the point of screening before the local government poll was suspended in 2018.

According to the angry aspirants, the state Executive Working Committee of the party then resolved that whenever the election process commenced, the party would continue from where it stopped before the suspension, that is screening of all aspirants who had obtained forms.

They disclosed that the party exco led by Engr. Ade Adetimehin opened the window for two days for any other interested members to begin to obtain forms contrary to the initial resolution of the party in 2018.

New set of people have started obtaining forms, which currently sold at N650,000. The window, which would close on Tuesday (yesterday), has allowed hundreds of members to join the race.

According to one of the disgruntled aspirants, some of the people who newly obtained the forms are currently serving civil servants and public officeholders, who the leadership of the party wanted to bring in through the back door and impose on the party as candidates.

He noted that if such persons should emerge as candidates of the party at the poll, it would spell doom for the party as any other party that drags them to the court would surely win because they didn’t meet the requirements of the electoral law that say they must first resign from public office before embarking on such political adventure.

It would be recalled that the APC lost most seats at the National Assembly, the Senate and the presidential election during the February 2019 general elections in the state due to crisis that erupted during its primaries, even when it had all chances to win.

One of the chieftains of the party, who was not disposed to the twist in the decision of the party Exco, warned that the aftermath of the local government primary would surely spill to and undermine the governorship primary of the party.

He expressed fear that the looming crisis could worsen the existing simmering crisis in the party and affect the party’s desire to produce the governor in the 2020 governorship election in the state.

The party chieftain, therefore, called on the party chairman, Ade Adetimehin, to return to the status quo ante and refund the money to all those who just obtained the forms to nib the looming crisis in the bud.

But the party while reacting through its Director, Media and Publicity, Mr. Steve Otaloro said, “Party has opened a two days window for the purchase of nomination forms for members who are interested in contesting for the coming LG primary in APC. The nomination forms closed tomorrow”.

According to him, this became necessary so as to be fair to all members especially new members who joined the party after the LG election was aborted in 2018 by ODIEC.