…Warns Tinubu’s votes at risk

A support group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Patriotic Vanguard Front, has raised the alarm over what it describes as an anti-party campaign being orchestrated by some members of the party in Ondo South Senatorial District.

With the group alleging a deliberate plan to undermine the prospect of President Bola Tinubu, it condemned the open endorsement of another party’s senatorial candidate by individuals purportedly loyal to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

In a statement issued and jointly signed by the chairman of the group, Seyi Akinola, and secretary, Muyiwa Olawola, the group described the move as a calculated act of sabotage that could cost the president vital votes in the governor’s own home base.

According to the group, the anti-party activities reached a peak on the very day campaigns officially commenced, when some party members from the governor’s camp allegedly chose to embark on “shenanigans” instead of rallying support for Tinubu and all APC candidates in the district.

The group disclosed that some individuals who parade themselves as APC members in the Southern Senatorial District have openly thrown their weight behind Matthew Oyerinmade, a candidate planning to contest under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Patriotic Vanguard Front noted that the governor’s camp had initially supported Isaacs Kekemeke to emerge as the candidate of the party but suddenly switched allegiance to Oyerin a few weeks after the primary.

The statement read in parts, “How will you explain a situation where some persons who claimed to be members of the party in the southern senatorial district who are in the camp of the governor openly endorse another person who is not a member of the party?

“It is highly disappointing that the district, which is the base of the governor, is going through this. The central and northern senatorial districts are problem-free and locked for the president. But only the South, which we believe the governor should have absolute control over, is going through this issue.

“With the way the situation is going, the votes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu might be affected in the southern senatorial district.”

The group further argued that the current crisis could have been avoided if Mayowa Akinfolarin, a two-term House of Representatives member, had been picked as the consensus candidate from the outset.

While urging the national leadership of the party to bring all major stakeholders together to salvage the situation, it stressed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) is closely monitoring the turn of events in Ondo South.

The statement further noted that the party at the state level has not come out to counter such a move, which the group alleged is a coordinated attempt to undermine the party’s chances.

The group also drew attention to the poor performance of the APC during the recent bye-election in the Southern Senatorial District, stating that it could spiral into 2027.

When contacted over the development, the publicity secretary of the party in the state, Muyide Kayode, stated that the endorsement by APC members is not considered a threat, adding that the foundation of the endorsement was poorly made.
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“What happened is that whatever they did there cannot fly because the foundation was so poorly made. They are infinitesimal. He (Oyerinmade) is never a threat to us. With the electoral act, he cannot fly.”