Eleven out of twelve aspirants seeking the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress Congress (APC) in Ondo State have rejected the indirect mode of primary adopted for the July 20 primary in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that only incumbent Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu was left out of the arrangement.
In a letter signed by the governorship aspirants to the APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, in Abuja on Friday, the aspirants requested the party to adopt direct primary for the nomination of the its governorship flag bearer.
The letter was signed by Joseph Olusola Iji, Odimayo Okunjimi, Olayide Owolabi Adelaml, Issacs Duerimini Kekemeke, Olusola Oke, lfeoluwa 0yedele and Olajumoke Olubusola.
Others are Awodeyi Akinsehinwa, Akinola Colinus, Olubukola Adetula, Dr Abraham Olusegun Michael and Dr Nathaniel Adojutelegan.
NAN recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Thursday published on its website that the APC had adopted indirect mode for the governorship primary.
The 11 governorship aspirants said: “Having interfaced with party members as aspirants, we can confidently inform you that overwhelming majority of our party members prefer Direct Primary for the nomination of the party’s candidate for the 2020 governorship election.
“It is our position that adopting Indirect Primary Election in Ondo State, given the prevailing mood and circumstances is hazardous and result to litigations which will not help our party.
“We most humbly insist that Direct Primary be adopted as was peacefully utilised in Edo, Osun, Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States.”
According to them, the direct primary will provide a level playing ground for all aspirants and assist in no small measure in mobilising party members to own the candidature of whoever emerges from the process.
“The consequence of knowingly opening the race to all willing members of the party by allowing them to invest time, energy and huge resources only to hand over victory to one of the aspirants by adopting a mode only favourable to that aspirant, is too grave to imagine given the prevailing mode generally in the state and particularly in the party,” they said.
