Edo State Governor On Hut Sit As 50 Candidate Fight For APC Gober Ticket

 

50 people are jostling to win the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Ondo state – Each aspirant is confident of winning the party’s ticket – Aspirants of the party include former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Segun Abraham, Chief Olusola Oke, and former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Victor Olabimtan .

  About 50 people are set to battle to win the governorship ticket for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ondo state and more candidates are still expected to emerge. According to The Punch, the rise in number of governorship candidates seems to be giving the party’s leadership a serious concern. 

It was gathered that the issue of how the governorship candidate will emerge in a rancour-free atmosphere has become what one of the APC chieftains termed as a must-not-fail assignment of the party’s National and State Working Committees. The aspirants are sure of securing the party’s ticket, thereby giving no room for consensus or imposition of candidate by the party’s leadership.

 Each of them had expressed the belief that any candidate presented by the APC for the forthcoming election would have an easy ride to the Alagbaka Government House, Akure, on February 24, 2017. Leading aspirants of the party are former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Segun Abraham, Chief Olusola Oke, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Victor Olabimtan, Bode Ayorinde and Chief Bukola Adetula. 

 Others are Boye Oyewumi, Moyosola Niran-Oladunni, Niran-Sule Adesuyi, Foluso Adefemi, Dele Alade and Senator Tayo Alasoadura, who currently represents Ondo Central Senatorial District at the Senate. In a bid to emerge as the candidate, many of the aspirants were said to have met with the national leaders of the party to have their “blessings” while various party leaders, both men and women across the 18 local government areas of the state, seem not to be experiencing the current economic downturn in the country as a result of the money being showered on them by various aspirants who regularly visit them for endorsement. The party leaders have noted that the candidate that will emerge must be a politically experienced member from the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria. 

This, they said, would ensure that the person would be loyal and have respect for the party authority if he eventually becomes the governor of the state. A source within the leadership of the party said, “The party leaders both in the state and at the national level know where they are going over the issue of candidacy; they know who they want to be the candidate of the party in the election.

 When the time comes, the boys will be separated from the men among the aspirants. Let them continue to come out, it is a welcome development for the party, it shows that our party is a beautiful bride in the state now.” Isaac Kekemeke, the chairman of the party, has insisted that the party had no anointed person among the aspirants. He had said the party would take the necessary procedures to ensure the candidate emerged through a free, fair and credible primary. However, Moyosola Niran-Oladunni, one of the candidates in reaction to the emergence of numerous candidates of the party said the APC guidelines for the primary would definitely reduce the number of the candidates.