•Emami advises Aiyedatiwa to reconcile with aggrieved aspirants
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Fidelis David in Akure
Two more governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the primary election of the party in Ondo State have petitioned against the process.
The two aspirants, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim and Engr. Folakemi Omogoroye, kicked against the process, saying the exercise was marred with irregularities and fell short of justifiable standard.
At the same time, a chieftain of the party, Ayirimi Emami, has called on the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to seek genuine reconciliation with all the aggrieved aspirants who contested with him ahead of the governorship election in November.
THISDAY had reported that a former Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, SAN, who headed the five-member Primary Election Appeal Committee, said it had received three petitions from aspirants who were aggrieved over the process of the election.
He said petitions were received from Olugbenga Edema, Jimi Odimayo and Wale Akinterinwa, and that the trio complained the primary did not hold across the 203 electoral wards in the state, adding that the process was marred by irregularities.
In the latest development, however, Ibrahim and Omogoroye, said the process was an anticlimax, a mockery of democracy and complete negation of every known democratic tenants.
Specifically, Omogoroye called for the cancellation of the last Saturday election, urging the committee chairman to order a fresh election for the interest of the peace, progress and development.
She stated in her petition that, “I am urging you to cancel the election and order a fresh election in which all the laid down guidelines for a credible election will be followed and a level playing ground will be assured and ensured for all players in the election.”
In his own petition, Ibrahim also hinged his appeal on cancellation of the election on four grounds, which included non-compliance with the rules, non provision of electoral materials, non accreditation of agents and gross misconduct.
“This is an appeal to your committee to cancel the primary election held in Ondo state on 20th April, 2024 on the ground that there was no election in the 203 wards and this is evidenced from the many petitions before your committee as captured on the ground below,” he said among other things.
Meanwhile, while congratulating Aiyedatiwa, Emami, who described his victory as testament of his impactful governance for the few months he’d been in office, urged him to broker peace with the aggrieved aspirants.
He added that he should accommodate the aggrieved aspirants in the course of his campaigns for the overall interest of the APC and development of the oil producing state.
