Ondo guber aspirants trail Tinubu to Abuja for endorsement
Governorship aspirants on the platform of the ruling All Progressive Congress, in Ondo state, have relocated to Abuja, seeking the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu ahead of April 20 primary election.
Our Findings in Akure showed that the aspirants have abandoned their tour of council areas to look for aides of the president.
The silence of the president with few weeks to the party primary, according to some of the aspirants, was worrisome to them.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was said to have prompted the members of the state House of Assembly led by their speaker Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji,to travel to Abuja last week to meet with the President on his behalf.
But we learnt that the members of the assembly after spending days in Abuja, without seeing the President, decided to visit the national chairman of the party Umar Ganduje.
They told the party chairman, that they’ve endorsed the governor a their aspirant for the primary.
Reports said that the aspirants are consistently working the telephones in their hotels rooms in a bid to reach out to relations, family members of the president.
Also, aides to the President at the Presidential villa were not left out in their lobby to get the ears of the President Tinubu.
Speaking in confidence with vanguard, One of the party’s aspirants said ” the party’s ticket is not in Akure, since the mode of the primary is direct, one needs to get the presidents endorsement
” Nobody knows the mind of the president, those close to him said he has refused to discuss the Ondo governorship election with them.
” We’ve learnt that he once told the national chairman of the party to back out from the exercise in his zone.
” Since we don’t have political leader after the death of governor Rotimi Akeredolu, the next governor would be decided by the President.
” The President has vested interest in who becomes the next governor. So whoever gets his endorsement will be the next governor.
The upcoming Ondo State election marks the first test of Tinubu’s influence in the Southwest since assuming the presidency. That’s why he’s interested in who becomes the next governor.
” It’s true we’re in Abuja to help ourselves by seeing whoever that can help our cases. But it’s unfortunate that it’s has become practically impossible to see the president. Those close to him are not helping matters. They keep promising but nothing concrete has been heard from the president.
Meanwhile, a top party source told vanguard that the President was planning to meet with party leaders and other stakeholders after the Sallah celebrations to discuss his position on the party’s primary.
