APC Crisis Worsens As Top Contender Move To Stop Gov Aiyedatiwa After His Victory

Ondo State Governor, Lucky faces fresh hurdles following his victory at the primary election of his party in the state.

This is as the All Progressives Congress Primary Election Appeal Committee for Ondo State disclosed on Monday that it had received three petitions challenging the victory of Governor Aiyedatiwa in the governorship primary conducted over the weekend.

Chairman of the Primary Election Appeal Committee, Mr Muhammed Abubakar, made this known during a press briefing in Akure. Abubakar, the immediate-past governor of Bauchi State, stated that the petitions were from Wale Akinterinwa, Jimi Odimayo, and Gbenga Edema.

Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, who chaired the Primary Election Committee, declared Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the Ondo APC primary election earlier on Monday. Ododo announced that Aiyedatiwa polled 48,460 votes across 18 local government areas of the state to defeat the 15 other aspirants.

However, ahead of the declaration, many aspirants had expressed dissatisfaction with the process, calling for its cancellation.

Speaking at the APC secretariat in Akure on Monday, the Chairman of the Primary Election Appeal Committee emphasized that such developments were not unusual, hence, the party always had an appeal committee to address complaints from primaries.

Abubakar stated, “It is traditional in the APC to set up a committee like this in order to follow up on the fallout of the primary election. It is as a result of this that I invited the gentlemen of the press to be here today so that I can announce to them the presence of this committee and the readiness of this committee to receive whatever complaints as a fallout from the primary election.”

He assured that the committee would thoroughly examine the three petitions from the aggrieved aspirants. “I can assure you that within a space of a few days, we will consider the total number of petitions we received and render a report to the national headquarters of our party before the party takes a final decision on the issue of the primary. As I’m speaking with you, only three petitions have been received,” Abubakar said.