Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State is on the verge of emerging as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial election in the state.
Aiyedatiwa is seeking the ticket of the party alongside 15 other aspirants, which include Olusoji Ehinlanwo, Jimi Odimayo, Jimoh Ibrahim, and APC National Vice Chairman (South West) Isaacs Kekemeke.
Others are Wale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema, Olusola Oke (SAN), Olamide Ohunyeye, Morayo Lebi, Oladiran Iyantan, Prof. Francis Faduyile, Mayowa Akinfolarin, and Ifeoluwa Oyedele, as well as two female aspirants, Funmilayo Adekojo and Funke Omogoroye.
The governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State held on Saturday were met with violence and discrepancies, as voting did not take place in most of the 203 wards.
Violence was recorded in the Idanre Local Council of the state as some political thugs shot sporadically into the air as part of plots to scare APC members not in their folds away.
Also, chaos broke out in Okitipupa, Ward 1, as members of the party who had gathered at Stella Maris College to cast their votes were dispersed due to violence erupting over support for a desired aspirant.
According to a member of the party in the council area, the accreditation and voting were yet to commence when the violence erupted, causing voters to flee.
A voter who craved anonymity disclosed that one of the party agents working for an aspirant came to the ward, snatched the validation and accreditation papers, and fled.
“One of the agents arrived here, seized the validation and accreditation papers, and fled in his car. They tried to chase him but couldn’t catch up, which led to the eruption of violence.”
In Ward 3, Ajue, Odigbo Local Council, the result was written on cardboard paper before the official commencement of voting and the arrival of election materials.
Meanwhile, the security agents at the ward were unable to contain the violence as everyone fled the premises. The presence of men from the Nigeria Police Force and the NSCDC, among others, was witnessed across the wards.
With the exercise witnessing a huge turnout among members of the party in the Akure South local council area, voting did not take place in most of the wards visited.
In wards 4, 7, and 9 in Akure Council Area, voting materials did not arrive as of 11:45 a.m., and the members who trooped out failed to exercise their franchise.
A member of the party who identified herself as Bosede stated that “I arrived at the voting centre with my friend at about 10:00 am, but we were told by one of us that we should write our names on a sheet of paper and we should return to our house.
“It was later. I was told that our data would be used for voting and that we would be seen later.”
At Oba-nla ward in Akure, a political leader, Yinka Akosile, was attacked and injured by suspected thugs said to be loyal to one of the aspirants.
Meanwhile, four governorship aspirants who described the gubernatorial primary as a sham that must not be allowed to stand accused the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, of not following the guidelines of the shadow election.
The governorship aspirants, which included Gbenga Edema, Wale Akinterinwa, Olusola Oke, and Prof. Dayo Faduyile, who emphasised that the election had commenced in some wards when the electoral materials had not been sent, called for the cancellation of the process.
Edema said: “At the stakeholders meeting, the Secretary of the Committee that came from Abuja to conduct this primary, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, informed us that the distribution of materials will be done to the electoral officers of each of the wards at the Bon Hotel, Ijapo Estate, Akure, starting at 7:00 a.m., and by 10:00 a.m., accreditation will start in each of the wards, which will last until 1:00 a.m., and that by 1:00 pm, the proper election will take place, and by 2:00 results will be announced.
“Now, we have been here since 6:30 am with a lot of our electoral officers, especially those ones whose names appeared on the list; unfortunately, nothing happened until 10 am.
“At about 9:30 am, His Excellency, Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, came out to tell us that materials had been distributed. At what time? In what places? We don’t know. Unfortunately, for him, the returning officers and electoral officer of my ward, Mahin Ward II in Ilaje local government, are here and unable to collect any materials.
“What we are asking for is a credible election. So, we are asking the leadership of the party to look into this.”
“If they’re not ready for this election, they should postpone it, and the right thing should be done.”