Moves by eleven governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state wanting the party flagbearer in forthcoming governorship election in the state to be elected through Direct Primary System as against the indirect system already approved and sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Governor Bala Muni led National Caretaker Committee of the party have collapsed.
The aggrieved Aspirants led by Engr Ife Oyedele, Chief Olusola Oke and former Deputy Clerk of National Assembly, Mr. Olayide Adelami who realized the mode of primaries can not be changed due to the 21-days notice needed to notify INEC, are said to be pressurizing the National Caretaker Committee Executive Council to dissolve Executive Councils of the party from the Ward to state level.
The Aspirants were also said to be pushing for the dissolution of the Executive Councils Ward to state level so as to pave way for the election of a three-man adhoc delegate that would vote via the indirect mode during the primary scheduled to hold July 20
The above request by the agrieved aspirants, according to a source among the aspirants, has also been turned down because time is already against such a move.
The party national Caretaker committee need at least 21-day to notify INEC on whatever decision to be taken in respect of the primary election, a constitutional provision that can no longer be met.
Four of the Aspirants were also said to be in Lagos to see the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to impress it on the National Caretaker Committee of the party on the need to either adopt DIRECT primaries or dissolve the current executive of the party to pave way for the election of adhoc delegates to vote during the primary but the Aspirants, according to one of them, were unable to meet the former Lagos state governor.
According to our source who is also an Aspirant: “Unfortunately, we met a brick wall in Abuja. We were also unable to meet Tinubu yesterday in Lagos. We were told that the party had already communicated the decision to use indirect primary for Ondo to INEC since the reign of Adams Oshiomole as the party national chairman. It is now beyond their power. The constitution is against our advocacy.
