… Council chairmen urge party unity, seek review of candidates list

… Reaffirm loyalty to ruling party

The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Ondo State chapter, has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to uphold the outcome of the party’s primary elections conducted in the state.

While appealing for unity among party members ahead of upcoming elections, the council chairmen expressed concerns that the names of those who purportedly emerged as winners during the primaries had surfaced as candidates for National Assembly positions.

The appeal was made during a press briefing held in Akure on Wednesday, where the ALGON Chairman and Chairman of Akure South, Gbenga Fasua, addressed journalists alongside the 18 local government chairmen of the state.

Fasua emphasised that the position of the council chairmen was not intended as a protest against the party’s leadership but rather as an appeal aimed at preserving the credibility of the APC’s internal democratic processes.

The council boss stressed that the chairmen were not challenging the authority of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) but were seeking a review based on the results announced during the elections.

The local government chairmen, who described themselves as party loyalists, reaffirmed their commitment to the APC while urging members to remain united as they awaited the party’s final decision on the matter.

Fasua noted that their intervention was driven by a desire to protect the confidence of party members who had participated in the primaries.

“If the National Working Committee fails to agree with our position, we are not making a protest. We want that to be clear. We are making an appeal to the National Working Committee,” Fasua stated.

He added, “We are not making any protest. Whatever the party decision, the party decision is supreme. We abide by the party decision. We are party lovers and we abide by the decision of the party.

“We are not here to make a protest. We are pleading. As chief security officers of these 18 local governments where the elections took place, we were there.

“What we are trying to do is, based on the election that was conducted here, to uphold the decision of the election conducted here. We stand by both the primary conducted here and the decision which was the outcome. That’s our position.”

The council chairmen also addressed a letter to President Bola Tinubu, commending his commitment to democratic values. The letter also praised Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for his leadership in maintaining peace and unity within the state.