CHOREOGRAPHED BY ODODO COMMITTEE,MAY SIGNAL THE ECLIPSE OF APC, IN ONDO STATE. By Sola Olatunji.
1. If you ask for my opinion about the purported APC primary election that took place on 20th April in Ondo State, I will describe it as the best scripted and choreographed nollywood film of the year,2024
2.We saw the build-up to the primary election full of intrigues and very entertaining, especially with galaxy of aspirants who toured around the 203 wards across the state to solicit votes and those who stayed glued on social media, either waiting for Abuja anointing or manna from heaven that never came. Nonetheless, the campaign exercises were so electrifying, full of creativity, and seriously speaking, captivating!
3. Honestly speaking, no one would have raised any eyebrow amongst the aspirants and their supporters if the primary election guidelines had been complied with by the ODODO and his gang. We just need to be sincere with ourselves that there is no competition without guidelines. Therefore, any attempt to bypass the requisite guidelines of any competition will raise an uproar, and it may amount to building something on nothing.
4. I know for sure that this nollywood primary election scripted and choreographed by Ododo and his gang can't stand. It is suffice to say that those unseen hands behind this charade called primary election have murdered sleep and may never have peace until the right thing is done. Those who scripted this charade called primary election in our over two decades of unbroken democratic experiences are planning to turn Ondo State to battle ground to scuttle our democracy. I also know for a fact that one of the hallmarks of Mr. President is justice. He will certainly not accept this sham called primary election if he were to be an aspirant in this contest.
5. It's glaring that with the fingers of the leadership of APC in this floppy primary election, and open disregard of the primary election guidelines, it may take forever to achieve any meaningful reconciliation because genuine reconciliation is usually predicated on the pillar of justice.
6. In conclusion, I forsee implosion and eclipse of APC in Ondo State as people who were supposed to ensure sanity in the process of primary election have soiled their fingers in all manners of absurdity and these barrage of complications may defy any resolution as we march towards the Nov governorship election. I have this fear that reconciliation without justice is like peace in the graveyard. We should ask from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and some PDP members. "No party goes into any election divided and comes out to sing a victory song afterwards.
Thank you.
[4/26, 8:56 PM] +234 906 499 6285: ONDO APC GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY: WHY WE REMAIN FIRM WITH OUR POSITION THAT THE PRIMARY MUST BE CANCELLED.- BARR. LADE EBIWANNO.
After the meeting convened on Thursday , 25th of April, 2024 by the National Chairman of the APC, Ahlaji Umar Gaduje, it appears Mr. chairman is nonchalant and flippant about the grievances of the aspirants and majority of APC members in Ondo state; who have ventilated their dissatisfaction through petitions to the appeal committee of the primary. Though, the committee is yet to give it final verdict on the outcome of the primary but it is glaring from every indication that Gaduje has been compromised by His Excellency, Lucky Ayedatiwa and he is not ready to convince the national leadership of the party to accede to the yearnings of the aspirants and majority of APC members in Ondo State who are deeply saddened and devastated about the sham and charade conducted by Usman Ododo led committee.
This is not a threat or intimidation to the national leadership of the party but a sincere admonition that must be heeded or hearkened to because, we remain intransigent with our stance on the outcome of the primary that unless justice is done and fresh primary is ordered we shall continue in our quest or pursuit for justice and we shall explore all available remedy to seek redress in court which may jeopardize the interest of the party in Ondo State. The APC members who are aggrieved about the outcome of the primary are patiently waiting for the decisions of the Appeal Committee before any further step and I urge His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a founding father and the national leader of the party to wade into the matter before, it is too late in order to prevent the apocalyptic scenario that transpired in Zamfara and Rivers State in 2019. I don't think there is any rational human being that will accept the outcome of the primary that never took place; does this mean the national leadership of APC doesn't acknowledge the loyalty, commitment , tirelessly and relentless efforts of the some chieftains of the party like Chief Olusola Oke, SAN who worked assiduously to give APC resounding victory in 2019 general election?
With utmost humility and reverence to the office of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, I humbly entreat our father to deploy the instrumentality of his office to cancel the primary where Ayedatiwa and his cohorts in connivance with Usman Ododo led committee manipulated the entire process and manufactured fictitious figures for himself . The whole world knows there was no election in Ondo State and I believe if the president is still committed to the growth of the party and ready to sustain the winning tempo recorded by APC previously in Ondo State his intervention is very indispensable to avoid the consequences and collateral damage or adverse affects of the fraudulent election conducted by Usman Ododo led committee. It would have been better if the election took place and Ayedatiwa doctored the results but in this scenario no member of the party was allowed to exercise his franchise even the Governor cannot show us pictorial evidence where he castated his votes in his ward but was chased out of his country home like commoner.
I'm still left bewildered how Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin who claimed to have collapsed his structure for Ayedatiwa in a video which has gone viral on the Internet was allocated votes and came second in the election after asking his supporters to vote Ayedatiwa and there's overwhelming evidence the election was characterized with violence, thuggery, intimidation and threat. It is extremely devastating without moral justification for someone to deny his Co- aspirants and their supporters access to vote.
It is easy to show concession and display spirit of sportsmanship if actually the election actually took place but very difficult to accept defeat in an election that never took place after all the aspirants have embarked on campaign tour across the eighteen LGAs in Ondo state and have committed their substantial fortunes or wealth to the primary by spending heavily to woo and solicit for the support and votes of the party members across the state this totally unwarranted, unjustifiable and unconscionable and highest level of moral and political bankruptcy displayed by H. E Ayedatiwa and Usman Ododo led committee.
The emotional and psychological distress suffered by the aggrieved aspirants and the party members who were denied access to exercise their franchise still reverberate in our hearts and still remain poignant in our memory and I think the only thing that can provide a healing balm to the injury we have suffered as a result of electoral theft perpetrated by H. E Lucky Ayedatiwa is that justice must not only be served but it must be seen by all and sundry to have been done. If all the aspirants decide to accept the outcome of the primary what would be the fate of their various supporters whose hopes and aspirations are tied to their candidature and how can they convince their thousands of supporters who were brutally injured and currently receiving medical attentions in different hospital as result of violence perpetrated by the thugs recruited by Ayedatiwa to unleash mayhem on party member who are not in support of his aspiration? My answer is: if fresh primary is not cancelled fresh primary is not ordered I see APC in Ondo State on verge of extinction because majority of party members are already contemplating of working with the opposition party. We are not saying we don't want APC in Ondo State what we are saying is that we don't want Ayedatiwa.
His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the emergence of Ayedatiwa has festered the intractable skirmish in the party in Ondo State, the hostage taking of the electoral officers and hijacking of the electoral materials is an eloquent testimony that there's massive discontent and opposition against this government. A government that's popular will not seek in power through a back door but through legitimate means. If Ayedatiwa could not win APC gubernatorial primary in a transparent contest this cast doubt on his charisma, personal magnetism and respectability in Ondo state and one doesn't have to consult a prophet or soothsayer before he can know Ayedatiwa can't deliver for APC in Ondo despite having several political appointees across the state.
Mr. President, we are clamouring for your intervention and the agitation of the people on the cancellation of the primary is becoming vociferous on daily basis and if justice is not done APC will definitely lose Ondo State. It must be noted Gaduje is the national chairman of the party has nothing to lose because he is not holding elective office that's why it becomes imperative for you to listen to us so that we can enough reasons to vote for you in 2027 as we did in 2023 by giving you highest percentage of votes in the whole federation. Our hope is lost we believe you are our last resort before resorting to litigation and consequences may spell doom on the party we therefore, urge Your Excellency, as a matter of urgency and proffer solution to the current political squabble within the party.