Eleven out of 12 aspirants seeking the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State have rejected the indirect mode adopted for the July 20, 2020 primaries in the state.
The position of the aspirants was contained in a letter they jointly signed.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that only the incumbent Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, was left out of the arrangement.
In the letter signed by the governorship aspirants and sent to the APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, in Abuja on Friday, the aspirants requested the party to adopt direct primaries for the nomination of the its governorship flag bearer.
The letter was signed by Joseph Olusola Iji, Odimayo Okunjimi, Olayide Owolabi Adelaml, Issacs Duerimini Kekemeke, Olusola Oke, lfeoluwa Oyedele and Olajumoke Olubusola.
Others were Awodeyi Akinsehinwa, Akinola Colinus, Olubukola Adetula, Dr. Abraham Olusegun Michael and Dr. Nathaniel Adojutelegan.
NAN recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission had on Thursday published on its website that the APC had adopted indirect mode for the governorship primaries.
The 11 governorship aspirants said: “Having interfaced with party members as aspirants, we can confidently inform you that overwhelming majority of our party members prefer Direct Primary for the nomination of the party’s candidate for the 2020 governorship election.
“It is our position that adopting Indirect Primary Election in Ondo State, given the prevailing mood and circumstances is hazardous and result to litigations which will not help our party.
“We most humbly insist that Direct Primary be adopted as was peacefully utilised in Edo, Osun, Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States.”
According to them, the direct primaries will provide a level playing ground for all aspirants and assist in no small measure in mobilising party members to own the candidature of whoever emerges from the process.
They said: “The consequence of knowingly opening the race to all willing members of the party by allowing them to invest time, energy and huge resources only to hand over victory to one of the aspirants by adopting a mode only favourable to that aspirant, is too grave to imagine given the prevailing mode generally in the state and particularly in the party.”
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