The peace moves initiated by the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to pacify aspirants on the platform of the party over the choice of a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Rotimi Akeredolu, as the candidate for the Ondo State governorship election has failed.
This came to the fore as 12 of the aspirants on Saturday declared their opposition to the choice of Akeredolu as the candidate of the party for the October 20, 2012 governorship election.
The aspirants, who met in Akure, the Ondo State capital, it was learnt, resolved to insist on the adoption of a fair process for the emergence of the party’s candidate for the election.
The national leadership of the ACN, led by Tinubu, unilaterally picked Akeredolu as the party’s candidate, a move that was rejected by all the aspirants.
On Saturday, 12 of the aspirants met tin Akure to take a joint stand on the issue, a source at the meeting told The Eagle Online.
The aspirants who met were all from Ondo North Senatorial District that was proposed to produce the governorship candidate based on the zoning arrangement of the ACN.
They said the process that produced Akeredolu was not in any way democratic.
Their position, which has been sent to the national leadership of the party via a letter, demanded that a transparent process should be put in place for the emergence of a candidate.
They said this remained the only way to win the governorship election.
Among those at the meeting were Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Segun Ojo, Jamiu Ekungba and Senator Ajayi Boroffice, who was represented.
In addition to supporting the position of the 11 other aspirants, Boroffice also on Saturday issued a statement in which he said that he has not declared support for Akeredolu’s candidature.
He said that contrary to a media report, he has not changed his position that the process that threw up Akeredolu was not justifiable.