Ondo poll: APC aspirants allege discrepancies ahead of primary

• Group alleges APC committee setting stage to rig party’s primaries for Aiyedatiwa
• Urges Tinubu, party leadership to urgently intervene
• We’re in good conscience, ready for primaries, says LACO-FS

Seven governorship aspirants seeking the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in Ondo State have expressed concerns over the revalidation of the party’s membership register, citing fears of potential disruptions to the electoral process.

The aspirants, including Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa, Diran Iyantan, Prof. Dayo Faduyile, Gbenga Edema and Jimi Odimayo, under the aegis of Ondo State South Gubernatorial Aspirants 2024, raised red flags regarding the transparency of the revalidation exercise.

According to the aspirants, the failure of the team from the national secretariat of the party to adequately revalidate genuine party members could negatively impact the outcome of the April 20 shadow election, stressing that it will disenfranchise a significant portion of the party’s base during the exercise.

In a letter to the national chairman of the party, the aspirants stressed that despite paying N300 million to cover the yearly dues of all party members, the revalidation process lacked transparency, as most of the authentic party members could not revalidate their membership cards.

The aspirants, however, alleged a purported plot by an aspirant to print fake slips to enable non-members of the party to participate in the primaries, which they described as illegal and unacceptable.

They cautioned the leadership of the party over the alleged illegality, warning that the move portends a legal and constitutional bottleneck for the party, particularly as it involved APC at the poll.

The aspirants stated that the leadership of the party must make available the valid membership register certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to them.

Meanwhile, a group within the APC, Ondo Vanguard For Good Governance, has alleged that the move by the committee of the party not to conduct delegates’ congress ahead of Saturday’s primaries was a ploy to rig the shadow election in favour of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

It said that members of the committee were not only absent at the venues of the congress across the state but figures were allegedly allocated to pass the insinuation that the delegates’ congress was held.

According to the group, in a statement by its Chairman, Tade Ogidan, President Bola Tinubu, as well as the national leadership of the party, must urgently intervene in the situation to prevent an avoidable crisis.

But reacting to the allegations, Director of Information, Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot-Soldiers (LACO-FS), Kayode Fasua, said: “The process for the conduct of the primary election in the state was laid bare by the party. If there are areas needing clarification, they should approach the party.

“As for us, we are in good conscience, and prepared for the primary election.”