Following the controversies that trailed the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State on Saturday, the State’s chapter of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the exercise as a “huge charade”.
In a statement on Saturday, the PDP publicity secretary, Kennedy Peretei, said it was evident that the ruling APC cannot handle the affairs of the state if it was unable to organise a credible primary election for its members.
According to the PDP, the governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who led the seven-man APC Electoral Committee that conducted the primary election, has allegedly caused more havoc than his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, who incidentally chaired the same primary election in the State four years ago.
Peretei said, “The over-hyped All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Ondo State turned out to be a huge charade and a mockery of democracy in every sense of the word.
“Four years ago, former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for N85 billion fraud, presided over a similar event in Akure, where none of the aspirants sighted the delegates list before the primary.
“As at the morning of the election, it was not clear whether it was going to be a direct or indirect primary. That was the exercise that produced former governor Rotimi Akeredolu as candidate of the APC for the 2020 governorship election.
“This time, governor Ahmed Ododo, Bello’s successor in office has wrecked more havoc than his boss. If the APC cannot conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible primary election for 171,922 of their members, they should perish the idea of presiding over the affairs of Ondo State beyond the eight years in which they have practically stagnated the State.”
The PDP spokesperson further added that in the coming week, the PDP would conduct its primary election in an organised way, in the full glare of the media.
“It is a shame that the APC cannot bring only one of their sixteen aspirants to square up with other political parties in the general election through a process that is above board. That alone, is an affirmation that, the party should be consigned to the dustbin of history, where it rightfully belongs.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo state chapter, will once again demonstrate its superior organizational sagacity and democratic credentials this week, through a governorship primary election that will be covered live by media houses and non-governmental organizations in the full glare of the world,” Peretei stated.
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