The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC has absolved a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of any wrongdoing in throwing his support behind one of the party’s aspirants in next Saturday’s governorship primaries of the party in Ondo state.
National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun stated this Saturday after a parley with the aspirants at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
Following a letter written by one of the aspirants, Dr Tunji Abayomi accusing Mr Tinubu of imposing another aspirant, Segun Abraham on the state leadership of the party, the APC in Ondo has been enmeshed in crisis leading to last week’s sealing of its secretariat by security operatives.
However, briefing journalists after the parley, Odigie-Oyegun said anyone was free to endorse anybody. “I think all the aspirants are here personally and one that is not here is represented. So, I want to thank you very much because it indicates your commitment to ensure that Ondo state returns to the fold of the progressives party. We have had extensive discussions. We have had frank discussions. We have had discussions that were occasionally passionate and strong but at the end of the day I think we have reached some very basic and fundamental understanding that will guide the process in Ondo state from now and through the primaries period.
“Number one, I think we have all accepted that there is nothing wrong in anybody, member of the party or even non-member, endorsing any of the aspirants”. He was quick to however give a caveat that neither the party at the national level nor its chapter in Ondo could endorse any of the aspirants. Equally, no executive member of the party is free to endorse any aspirant. The chairman also vouched for the fidelity of the delegate list, urging aspirants and other stakeholders to discountenance fears that the list might have been tampered with.
He said, “We have also accepted unanimously that there would be no attempt on the part of the party to impose any aspirant on the party and on the electorate in Ondo state. So we have drawn a clear distinction between endorsement and imposition. “I want to state in very clear terms to reassure all the aspirants that the party at the national level has no preferred aspirant and is not going to endorse any aspirant. They are all equal members of the party, our children who have entrusted in us the management of the affairs of their party.
“By the same token, the state branch of the party must not also be seen to be attempting to impose any aspirant and cannot in fact endorse an aspirant because you have that sacred trust to be even-handed to all the aspirants of the party. We are the party that is blazing a new trail in internal democracy and we believe very strongly that it is the choice of the delegates to indicate who their preference is. So, to make it clear again beyond doubt, the party has no preffered aspirant whether at the national level or at the state level.
“We have also promised to make a clean copy of the delegate list available to all aspirants hopefully by Wednesday”, saying the original list has been in safe custody, during aspirants to discard rumours of the existence of some other lists”.
We’re satisfied with the outcome of the parley -Abayomi, Akeredolu, Oke The aspirants were also unanimous in expressing delight at the outcome of the party. Dr Abayomi on his part said he had nothing against anyone endorsing any of the aspirants, but that such endorsement must not be imposed on the party structure.
“My motive (of writing the letter) was to ensure that the prescription of the constitution is strictly complied with and to ensure that the APC in Ondo state has no candidate and has not endorsed anybody. If Asiwaju Tinubu has endorsed somebody, it is not the same thing as an endorsement by the APC and therefore the chairman of the party has clarified it. APC has not endorsed anybody and in fact as a matter of ethics, no exco member is expected to be on the side of any particular aspirant; they are all expected to be treated equally you cannot treat equals unequally or unequals equally.
“Tinubu is free to support anyone but that is different from somebody inviting the apparatus of the party and asking them that ‘this is the candidate of the party, go and work for him and I will fund it’”, he stated.
