Ahead of the primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC), some leaders of the party in the state, said they have uncovered plans by some elements within the party to disrupt the shadow election of APC slated for April 20.
The leaders, led by Adewale Ibraheem, who raised the alarm, also expressed apprehension that the APC governorship primary scheduled to pick its candidate may be threatened and eventually aborted by thugs recruited by some elements.
According to the leaders, who disclosed that about 50 thugs have been recruited and deployed to each local government areas in the statel to scuttle the primary election.
Ibraheem specifically alleged the Red Beret supporters, who are the foot soldiers of governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of planning to disrupt the APC primary election.
He said “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,”
But in his reaction, the State Director of Information, Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organization-FSIC, Kayode Fasua, lambasted the group for sponsoring falsehood against Aiyedatiwa, saying it’s an attempt to give the governor a bad name so as to hang him.
Fasua who described the allegation as baseless and false, admitted that the group held a meeting but said “the meeting under reference was an Akure meeting held by APC members in the locality, to appraise the performance of the campaign efforts within the local government, thence far. Nothing more”
He however, stated that “desperadoes within the APC should readdress themselves and give vent to party rules and regulations, by stopping mudslinging Mr. Governor in the belief that he is a simple man, and can’t do anything.
“Party members bandying this cooked-up story are the enemies of the party. The death of former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) in December last year unsettled everyone.
“Yes, Aiyedatiwa is contesting the party’s next governorship ticket, but the enormous task before him does not give room for the conjecture of raising thugs or anything of the stuff. He is a busy man; one who closes work at 1:am and resumes 8:am”
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.
No fewer than 16 aspirants of 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 soon.
The incumbent governor, who had wanted the procedural right of first refusal to be applied in his favour, will have to contend with 15 others for the APC ticket
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.