Ondo guber poll: Tinubu can endorse any aspirant, says Oyegun

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday, cleared the air on the controversy surrounding the purported endorsement of Mr. Segun Abraham by former Lagos Governor and national leader of the party, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, ahead of the party’s primaries, billed to hold on Saturday, August 27.

Oyegun, who spoke at the end of a closed-door parley with the 24 aspirants in the race for the ticket of the party, said it was unanimously agreed that there was nothing wrong in anybody endorsing any of the aspirants vying for the ticket of the party.

The APC chieftain’s position was a veiled endorsement of the rumour making the round that Tinubu has endorsed Abraham, who was in attendance at the parley, which held at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja. He said the aspirants should rest assured that the APC, at both the national level or state level, would have no preferred candidate for the exalted Ondo governorship seat.

He said: “We have had extensive discussions, which were occasionally passionate. But at the end of the day, we have reached certain basic and fundamental understanding that would guide the process in Ondo State. 

“We have all accepted that there is nothing wrong in anybody endorsing any of the aspirants. We have also accepted unanimously that there would be no attempt by the party to impose any person on the party for primaries in Ondo State. So, we have to make a very clear distinction between endorsement and imposition here.

“We also assure all the aspirants in very clear terms that the party, at both the national level and state level, has no preferred aspirants and it is not going to endorse any aspirant, who are all equal members of the party, who have entrusted us with the management of the party’s affairs. We will strive to be as impartial as it is humanly possible.”

He promised to make available a copy of the delegates list on Wednesday, which, he said, is in safe custody of the party in Abuja.
Urging the aspirants to rally round the eventual winner of the primaries, he thanked them for responding promptly to attend the fence-mending parley.

One of the aspirants, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, who raised the alarm over the purported interference of Tinubu in the party primaries, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the parley.

Said he: “My motive is to ensure the prescription of the constitution of the party is strictly complied with and to ensure that APC in Ondo State has no candidate and has not endorsed anybody. If Asiwaju Tinubu has endorsed somebody, it is not the same thing as an endorsement by APC. Therefore, the party chairman has clarified it.”