Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of Ondo APC Aborigines, have come out in one voice to declare their support for the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiywdatiwa, as he bids to be the candidate of the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
The decision was reached at their meeting held in Akure the state capital on Tuesday, where they revealed that Aiyedatiwa scored the highest points out of the three aspirants shortlisted by the group.
Late Paul Akintelure and a former Commissioner for Finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa are the other nominees.
Speaking, the chairman of the group and former Nigerian Ambassador to Togo, Sola Iji said, “We resolved in our first meeting to commit ourselves to a unanimous goal in the forthcoming governorship primary of APC in the state. We consider this as a necessary step towards asserting our true worth in the party.
“Nevertheless, during our second meeting, we unanimously agreed to set up a nine-man committee headed by Mrs Christy Olufowose to identify the various aspirants jostling for the ticket of our party; assess them using some well-thought-out criteria and present three of them for further consideration by the leadership of the group.
“At our last meeting, the committee submitted their report wherein Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Wale Akinterinwa and Dr Paul Akintelure were recommended.
“Furthermore, the group mandated its leadership to have further consultation and deliberations in arriving at the choice of our preferred aspirant. Consequently, the leadership of the group met, reviewed the report of the committee and considered the three recommended aspirants qualified and worthy.
“However, in contriving the choice of our preferred aspirant, the leaders believed that it is normal and conventional to offer a right of first refusal to His Excellency, Lucky Aiyedatiwa as a sitting governor.”
“On the whole, having been satisfied with the conduct and performance of His Excellency, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, we are pleased to inform the general public that he is our preferred aspirant in the forthcoming governorship primary of APC in Ondo State.
“By this decision, we are determined to deploy our numerical strength and resources to ensure the victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa at the primary. It is our fervent belief that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s candidature will position our party for a resounding victory at the general election and engender good governance in the state”, he stressed.
April has been fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for all political parties to hold their primaries, and the APC has scheduled April 20 for its election.
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