• Faults flawed validation exercise, absence of delegates’ congress
• Channel your grievances to APC leadership, LACO-FS tells group
• Zoning will deprive state of best candidate, says female aspirant
• Aiyedatiwa begins tour of Ondo councils ahead of primaries

A group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ondo Vanguard for Good Governance, has raised the alarm over the alleged plot to rig the April 20, 2024 governorship primaries of the party in the state.

According to the group, the delegates’ congress that ought to have been held yesterday to identify party members that would participate in the direct mode of primary was not held, and the validation exercise was not thoroughly done.

Chairman of the group, Tade Ojo, who spoke with newsmen in Akure, the state capital, said that with the development, the grounds had been prepared for the alleged manipulation of the shadow primary.

Ojo alleged moves to produce fake membership cards for some people who are non-members of the APC to participate in the primaries.

REACTING to the allegations, the Spokesperson of Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), Kayode Fasua, maintained that the confirmation of membership in the party would not be done manually.

He said: “The pre-requisite for voting is the party’s membership card, which will be confirmed digitally. Thank God the attack is no longer on Aiyedatiwa by these lie manufacturers.

“Let them challenge the party’s leadership over their grievances, and I am sure they will get satisfactory answer.”

Waheed-Adekojo, who expressed concern over the stance of the party on the issue, said that the emphasis on zoning could potentially have counterproductive consequences for the party.

The governorship aspirant, who spoke with newsmen in Akure, the state capital, stressed the importance of prioritising competency over any unwritten zoning arrangement in the emergence of candidates for the governorship poll.

Out of the 16 governorship aspirants, Waheed-Adekojo is the only one from the northern senatorial district, while the remaining 15 hail from the southern senatorial district of the state.

According to her, past adherence to zoning practices had deprived the state of competent leaders who could effectively govern and bring the desired progress and development to the state.

Waheed-Adekojo, however, appealed to party members to make a thorough assessment of all the aspirants on the party’s platform and ensure that they pick the best, regardless of the zone the aspirant hails from.

She noted that all senatorial districts within the state had completed the cycle of zoning, saying that there should be no need to emphasize zoning arrangements.

She said: “Our politicians should stop selfish tendencies and change the attitude of exploiting the people who voted for them. The majority of them do not care about the future of their kids, and they do not bother about having an enabling environment for the next generation.

“We should focus more on uplifting the underprivileged people in the society. For me, I am in politics to help the needy and provide succour for the downtrodden.

“It is highly disgusting that politicians don’t care if you are a family member, long-term neighbour or a friend. Everyone has this sickness of letting me quickly grab whatever I can grab and ‘waka’ pass.

“I am grateful to God for the few innocent and genuine ones who still protect the interests of the state, but they are so few that their voices are covered with the lousy voices of these greedy ones.

“How I was able to manage the experience was to stop giving my hard-earned money to people of such calibre, not minding if they vote for me or not. I always let them know that I can’t waste my money. I worked very hard for my money, and I must give value to it.”

Aiyedatiwa, who commended the leaders of the party and members for their support, promised not to take their support for granted.

The governor, who spoke in Ondo West Local Council of the state, commended the unity of purpose among leaders of the party in the council, adding that it made Ondo West one of his major strongholds.

At Bolorunduro, Ondo East Council, the governor, who assured that the yearly dues of about 110,000 party members had been paid to allow them to participate in the primary, urged them to bring along their party membership cards to exercise their franchise on April 20.

Earlier, Aiyedatiwa had paid a visit to the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, and the Osemawe-in-Council, who commended the governor for showing genuine commitment to the development of Ondo Kingdom.