Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ondo State chapter, have raised the alarm over an alleged plot by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to print fake membership cards and slips ahead of the party’s primaries on April 20.
According to the leaders under the aegis of the Ondo Vanguards for Good Governance, the purported move was geared towards manipulating the outcome of the primaries in favour of the governor.
The chairman of the group, Tade Ojo, who spoke in Akure, the state capital, stressed that some non-members of the APC had been recruited to vote during the primaries in a bid to allegedly rig the shadow election.
The leaders, however, appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the party to ensure the credibility of the primaries and thwart any activities aimed at jeopardising the integrity of the election.
He said: “It is important to stress that the leadership of appropriate security agencies has been alerted to this devious act of the governor that has feigned and simulated popularity through procured fickle endorsements.
“The second in line of the escapades of the governor and his desperate partners, particularly some senior appointees to the state government, is the generation of fake membership registers and the printing of fake membership slips to people who are not members of the APC.
“Whereas it is foolhardy to believe that the new fake documents being produced by these anarchists could be successfully impressed on the national committee saddled with the responsibility of conducting the primary election.
“Ondo State is larger than all of us, including Governor Ayedatiwa. We are convinced that they are prepared to spill the milk if they cannot have it.”
Reacting to the allegations, the spokesperson for the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), Kayode Fasua, dismissed the claims as baseless.
He said: “The primary election is an internal affair of the APC, and the party leadership is independent of the government. Before the party, all aspirants, including the governor, are treated equally regarding campaigns and the internal electoral process.
“Therefore, Governor Aiyedatiwa or his supporters are far removed from this lie of printing fake membership cards, as alleged by jittery aspirants hiding behind fingers.
“Again, the allegation of the governor unleashing terror or destroying billboards is trite and unappealing to the public because the police have never once heard of such a complaint, much less arrested anyone.
“They should go drink some water and sleep for their enviously frayed nerves. Hardworking Governor Aiyedatiwa has overtaken them.”
