As the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) draws near in Ondo State, leaders in APC have expressed concern that there are credible indications that the 20th April, 2024 exercise, meant to elect the candidate of the party, may be threatened and eventually aborted.
According to the selected leaders of the party that spoke to our reporter, there are plans to recruit 50 thugs in each of the local government areas in Ondo state to scuttle the primary election.
According to one of the leaders who expressed concern, the Red – Beret supporters the governor have perfected plans to disrupt the APC primary election.
” It has come to our notice through a credible source in the camp of Aiyedatiwa Supporters that plans have been perfected by Aiyedatiwa’s political foot soldiers to scuttle the APC primary, baring any last minute counter moves.
“A meeting was held in Akure, and it was coordinated by a senior cabinet member in Akure. At the meeting, it was approved that anywhere in all the 18 local.government areas of the state where the incumbent is unpopular and may lose election, the election in such place must be disrupted and the election must never be allowed to stand.
” Fund shall be provided to recruit 50 thugs in each of the 18 local governments, to forment trouble on 20th April 2024, and discredit the APC primary.”
“It is evident that Aiyedatiwa is losing out, and he wants to drag everybody down, including the APC in Ondo State.”
“His support base is weak, and the strategists to his aspiration are of the opinion that the power of incumbency be used to waste the fortunes of the APC in Ondo State,” Adewale Ibraheem said.
It will be recalled that the national leadership of the APC has decided to conduct direct primary to elect the flag bearer of the party in the November gubernatorial election.
As at the last count, 16 aspirants in the party, including the incumbent governor, Lucky, Aiyedatiwa, Wale Akinterinwa, Jimoh Ibrahim, Olusola Oke, and Isaac Kekemeike, have obtained the expression of interest and nomination forms, and they are to be screened anytime from now.
The incumbent governor, who had wanted the procedural right of first refusal to be applied in his favour, has not been able to achieve what his supporters believed was the easiest road to extending his tenure as governor.
As the clock clicks towards the deal-day, opinions are rife that Aiyedatiwa’s getting the ticket is as difficult as the horse passing through the eye of a needle, because of the issues relating to his WAEC certificate and relationship with his formal boss, Akeredolu.
It will also be recalled that the red cap beret adopted by Aiyedatiwa’s supporters was earlier described by concerned members of the APC as an insignia of a confrontational movement.
There have also been accusations of alleged sponsored attacks on people supporting other aspirants and their billboards by thugs loyal to Aiyedatiwa.
