*Action illegal— Akeredolu
*NWC should return Our Money or risk Mass Action- Adetimehin
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State has faulted the decision of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party to disqualify all aspirants loyal to the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu from participating in the National Assembly Primaries of the party.

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu

The primaries is supposed to hold today across the state is currently causing palpable tension in the sunshine state.
The party had, on Monday, in a statement by its Acting National Working Committee announced disqualification of all aspirants running for Senate and House of Representatives where there’s an incumbent.

The party disqualified a Human Rights Activist and Lawyer, Dr. Tunji Abayomi and former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Olabimtan from contesting to return Professor Robert Ajayi Boroffice unopposed to run for third term among others across the state.

But party executives from ward to state level, cabinet members, party members and groups loyal to Akeredolu as splitting fire, warning the Adams
Oshiomole led NWC of the party to be ready to face dire consequences if the action is not rescinded.

Their grievances, among others, is that the last minute disqualification of aspirants from participating in the primaries after fulfilling all requirements known to law to allow incumbent Senators and Reps to return unopposed is not only illegal but fraudulent, surreptitious, clandestine and irresponsible.

Accusing the NWC of the party of breaching the party’s law and acting dictatorial, Akeredolu said: “Where do they derive powers to disqualify aspirants duly screened and certified fit to stand for election under the guise of giving automatic ticket to incumbent Senators and Reps members from?”

The governor said: “This is a declaration of war against our party constitution. The decision to rig out our loyal and committed members from exercising their right after collecting money for nomination form from them was taken by few individuals.

“Legally, if such a fundamental decision is to be taken, it would have to be ratified by the National Executive Committee, NEC, on behalf of the convention since the convention cannot be convened now. It is NEC that acts on behalf of the convention. But from nowhere, a gladiator of illegality took a decision to ban my people from exercising their rights and they expected me to comply? This action will certainly boomerang if not addressed.”

Corroborating Akeredolu, the Chairman of APC in Ondo State, Engr Ade Adetimehin said: “All we are saying is that APC in Ondo State does not agree with the position of the NWC. We met here and decided in favour of Indirect Primaries as method of selecting our candidates as stated in our party constitution but NWC overruled us. We complied, now, Abuja is saying no primaries again, and they have imposed people, some of whom are not even our members in the face of law to fly our ticket. This is unacceptable.”

Speaking further, Adetimehin warned that “we shall wage war against the decision of some few cabal to turn our party to a rogue party. You cannot encourage people to obtain forms at such extravagant amount and then overnight tell them they aren’t allowed to contest; on what grounds? This is fraudulent and an act of stealing by tricky.”

“Why collect money from party members for nomination form since you knew you wanted to give automatic ticket to some people? We demand a refund with accrued interest paid.

“But let me say for the sake of clarity and without any fear or favour that this totalitarian action was not unilaterally taken by NWC, it was a decision of a few individuals acting the script of an oligarchy,” Adetimehin stated.

In a related development, a pressure group, Change Nigeria Movement, CNM, has described the disqualification of all members of the party loyal to Governor Akeredolu from participating in National Assembly primaries, as an action of humiliation taken too far against a sitting Governor.

In a statement on Wednesday in Akure, the state capital, the National Secretary of the group, Comrade Adeniyi Bankole advised Oshiomole against running APC like labour movement, stressing that his action against loyal party members is an antithesis of all tenets known to democratic principles.

Bankole said: “If truly the power of the people is the utmost in a democracy, we can assure Oshiomole that only his people from Edo State would vote for those he has imposed against our people in Ondo State. We declare him a persona non-grata until he reversed his autocratic decision.”