As aspirants jettison agreement, obtains nomination forms

Dayo Johnson – Akure

The agreement by the governorship aspirants in the Unity Forum of the All Progressive Congress in Ondo state to support a consensus candidate for the July primary election has broken down irretrievably.

Reason being that five of the aspirants have obtained nomination forms jettisoning the choice of Chief Olusola Oke by the group.

Those who have gone ahead to pick the nomination forms include Jimi Odimayo, Adelami Olaiyide, Ife Oyedele, Jumoke Anifowose, and Olusola Oke.

They are insisting that rather than the agreement to support Oke, they would contest in the primary election.

Vanguard gathered that the likes Dapo Adelegan, Segun Abraham, and Bukola Adetula have not obtained their form while Kazeem Olarewaju has pitched his tent with Oke and has been appointed the Director-General of his campaign committee.

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Vanguard reliably gathered that the aspirants numbering ten have jointly agreed before the committee to screen them that they would abide by its decision and support whoever emerged.

But immediately the committee submitted its report, the group became polarised with committee members disowning the report that picked Oke as the consensus candidate.

A leader if the party and the Senator representing the Northern senatorial district of the state Senator Ajayi Boroffice has since pitched his tent with another aspirant, Jimi Odimayo thereby polarising the group further.

One of the aides to an aspirant who had obtained the nomination form told vanguard that ” the leading aspirants in the group have obtained their nominations forms ready to slug it out with themselves in the primary alongside the incumbent. The efforts of the group have turned out to be efforts in futility.

Speaking on the crisis in the group, one of the aspirants, lfe Oyedele said that ” injustice is responsible for the inability of the APC Unity Group to pick an acceptable candidate to contest the party primary against Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

Oyedele, who is an Executive Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, said “I was a member of and I’m still a member of the Unity Group; I was a very active member.

“Unfortunately, it’s very unfortunate when you refuse to pursue truth and justice.

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“Any decision you take cannot stand and that is the reason why you find all of the members of the party going their own way in the screening.”

But in his reaction, the chairman of the screening committee of the Unity forum Senator Yele Omogunwa said  Oyedele was not bold enough to talk straight on his allegation of Injustice and lack of truthfulness as the reasons why the Aspirants in Unity  Grouped could not agree and going their different ways.

Omogunwa added that as the Chairman of the Unity Group Screening Committee he would honoured him with Silence asking him to prove his allegation.

vanguard