The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday said selfish ambition of the embattled Ondo State Deputy Governor and the Secretary to the State Government motivated their defection to the opposition party at the expense of collective state interest.
In a first official reaction to the political crisis in Ondo State, the National Chairman of the party’s Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CEONCPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni said the defection of the two former chieftains was for their actualization of personal interest.
The deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi recently resigned from the ruling party to join the opposition party to seek the governorship ticket of the party while the Secretary to the State Government, Ifedayo Adegunde followed suit last week.
The party chairman who spoke through the National Secretary, Senator John J. Akpan Udoedehe, at the inauguration of the Screening and Appeal Committees for the Ondo State Governorship Primary in Abuja said the resignation of the two leaders was “skewed towards personal, rather than collective interest”.
According to the Chairman, “In the last few months, our Party has been rocked by crisis, in several states, including Ondo State, where the former Deputy Governor and the former Secretary to the State Government defected to other parties to seek platforms to contest for the Governorship elections of the State.
“We should all be aware, that personal ambition could often lead people to act unreasonably, and in a manner skewed towards personal, rather than collective interest, as in this case.”
The Chairman then assured all the aspirants in the Ondo State July 20 party primary election of a level playing ground in accordance with the party’s fundamental pillars of fairness and natural justice.
“We can assure you that the aspirants, who have indicated interest to fly the flag of our Party in the Ondo Governorship elections, will be subject to the same fair, credible and transparent standards in the
nomination process,” the party assured the aspirants.
