One of the 12 aspirants vying for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress in the Ondo State gubernatorial election has stepped down for Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu few hours to the primaries.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ife Oyedele has opted to step down for Akeredolu, hours before the primaries, slated for July 20.
Oyedele, who spoke to reporters after making the decision late on Sunday in Akure, said he took the decision after consultations with national leaders of the party to work with Akeredolu.
He said: “I have decided to work with Mr Governor and we are very mindful of the security situation of the state not to have bloodshed.
“We are determined to ensure that we work together to reunite the party and I want to assure you that the interest of the people of the state is more important.
“We urge all the other aspirants to support us on this quest.”
Meanwhile, the venue for the primary has been shifted to the International Events Centre, Akure.
The primaries was initially scheduled to hold in the 18 Local Government Areas headquarters, but has now been moved to three centres in Akure.
The state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alex Kalejaiye, said delegates would converge at three centres in Akure for accreditation, while the election would hold at the International Events Centre in the town.
“Initially, it was scheduled to hold in the local governments, but now everything would be done in Akure tomorrow,” Kalejaiye stated.