Watchers of Ondo politics have said that there is palpable rancour between a faction of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the state and the National Leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The reason for the rancour they say, is the National Leader’s plans to hand-pick a candidate for the party ahead of the Ondo governorship election.
Women leaders of the party from the 18 local government councils of the state insisted that Tinubu has no right to impose a governorship candidate on the party.
In a letter signed by the women leaders on Monday, it wa indicated that the preferred choice of Tinubu for the governorship election was not popular.
The reaction of the APC women leaders followed an allegation by one of the governorship aspirants of the party, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, who claimed that Tinubu summoned all the party’s leaders, including the chairmen of the party at the local government level to Lagos, where he directed them to ensure that Dr. Segun Abraham emerges as the candidate of the party at the primary
While indicating that they remain loyal to Tinubu’s leadership, the women leaders including — Mrs. T. O. Oparinde (Ondo-Central senatorial district); Mrs. Adejoro Lydia (Ondo-North senatorial district); Mrs. E. Y. Akinlaja (Ondo-South senatorial district) and several others — said that Tinubu’s preference of Dr. Segun Abraham would only ruin the party’s chances in the elections.
The women called on the former governor of Lagos State to allow a free and fair governorship primary.
“Recent rumour in Ondo state about your decision to back one of the aspirants has got us seriously worried,” the women said in their letter to Tinubu.
“It would have been less worrisome if the particular aspirant has some measure of popularity that can be leveraged upon to win the governorship election.
“Unfortunately, the reverse is the case. The number of those of us that sign this letter shows that our opinion cuts across all the part of the state.”
While calling for an urgent stakeholders’ meeting, the women leaders blamed the turn of event in the countdown to the governorship primary on “some selfish leaders who go to Lagos to feed Asiwaju with lies.”
The letter read further, “We appeal that you urgently convey a stakeholders’ meeting and listen to the genuine views or the Ondo people and not some few selfish individuals that are disconnected from the practical political reality in Ondo by their own selfish agenda. You are the father of all, don’t let them narrow you to a selfish agenda that will make us fail again.”
The APC National Leader however said in response to the women’s call that he has the right to back whoever he likes as candidate of the APC in the Ondo state governorship election.
Consequently, Tuesday, there was crisis in the state’s APC secretariat. Members of the party who are blaming the state party chairman, Isaacs Kekemeke for his involvement in the endorsement of Olusegun Abraham said Kekemeke has been removed as chairman for the wrong endorsement.
The group forcefully took over the state secretariat along Oyemekun Road, shutting out Kekemeke and his allies.
They also announced the appointment of Saka Ogunleye as their new chairman.
