Crisis Rocks APC Over Senatorial Primaries In Ondo

All Progressives Congress (APC) Ondo State chapter is currently facing a crisis arising from Saturday’s senatorial primary elections in the three senatorial districts of the state.

At the primary election held on Saturday across the state, Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South), Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central) and Jide Ipinsagba (Ondo North) were declared winners of the APC senatorial primaries.

Addressing journalists in Akure, the state capital yesterday, one of the aspirants in the Ondo North senatorial district, Chief Alex Ajipe, alleged that the primary election held in Owo, the headquarters of Owo local government was a charade.

Ajipe alleged that the delegates list used for the primary election to produce a candidate for the forthcoming senatorial election, was marred by irregularities.

According to Ajipe, fake results were allocated to the aspirants without proper conduct of the primary.

While saying that the process leading to the conduct of the primary election violated the Electoral Act and the APC constitution, he noted that under the APC’s constitution, the list of delegates is supposed to be known to aspirants seven days before the primary election.

He said he went to the 57 political wards in the Ondo North senatorial district and the faces he saw during the primary were not party members but people brought from various walks of life for the primary election.

His words: “What did we see in Ondo North? The delegates that showed up were not elected at any congress of the APC. I saw market women, petrol sellers and other artisans who were paraded as delegates.

“These were the people that determined the fate of aspirants who paid millions to obtain nomination and expression of interest forms from the party. The election is a process.

“The process is supposed to start with ward congress to elect five adhoc delegates. There was no ward congress held to determine the list of delegates to vote in the primary that produced the supposed winner.

“We are supposed to know the delegates at least 48 hours before the primary. The faces we saw at the wards are different from the voters who came to vote in yesterday’s primary. The election was nothing but a charade. To prevent a situation in Zamfara State, we should remedy the situation now.

“The election should be cancelled and new primary election should be conducted. I reject the outcome of the primary. There should be equity, and fairness and nobody should be denied his or her right to contest.”

Ajipe who alleged that his life and that of family members were being threatened because of his ambition said he would approach the appeal panel of the party and failure to get justice might go to court.