A front-line aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Olugbenga Edema, has dumped the party and emerged as the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) ahead of the November 16th governorship election in Ondo State.
Edema emerged as the party candidate at the substitution governorship primary held in Akure, the state capital, on Wednesday. He boasted that he would defeat the APC candidate, Lucky Ayedatiwa, and his party.
Edema’s emergence followed the withdrawal of the party’s former candidate, Ayeni Oluwatosin, who voluntarily withdrew from the race.
Oluwatosin, in his letter of withdrawal, which was made available to journalists on Wednesday in Akure, said that his withdrawal was in the interest of the party.
He said, “I, Ayeni, Oluwatosin Israel, a governorship candidate of NNPP for the November 16, 2024, election in Ondo State, hereby voluntarily withdraw my candidacy from the contest. My withdrawal is in the best interest of our great party, NNPP,” the letter read.
Also, Mr Peter Olagookun, the NNPP state chairman, who confirmed the candidate’s withdrawal, said that Ayeni willingly withdrew his candidacy to make way for the party’s better candidacy.
The NNPP candidate, who disclosed that one of the most important aspects of the democratic process” is the issue of internal democracy in the affairs of the political parties, noted that “the issue of internal democracy manifests in the manner that parties conduct their election processes which must be predictable, transparent and in compliance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (1999) (as amended); the Electoral Act, 2002; the Constitution of the various parties and their rules guiding the conduct of their elections.
“It is in the public domain that the purported primary election conducted by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on 20/04/2024 for the selection of its gubernatorial candidate for the 16th November 2024 election is lacking in these attributes and, as such, cannot be described as democratic.’’
