There is confusion in Ogun State as controversy trails the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in the state.
The Ogun State chapter of the party had earlier declared the party’s consensus candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, winner of a parallel primary conducted on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018 in the state while the National Working Committee (NWC) panel led by Muhammad Ndabawa announced Prince Dapo Abiodun winner.
Interestingly, Chief Derin Adebiyi, the state party chairman, declared that; “Akinlade, in a direct primary polled 190,987 votes out of 201,620 valid votes cast across the 236 wards in the state. Lawal came second scoring 5,046, Abiodun came third with 3,648, Ashiru came fourth with 898, Kaka came fifth with 833, while Hunye got 208 votes in the sixth position. The party used the direct primary for the election, it is monitored by officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agents.”
“The state executive committee and the members of the party believe the APC’s National Working Committee panel sent to the state have been highly compromised.”
“We waited for them last Sunday when it was first slated to hold but their telephone lines were switched off. When we later got through to them in the evening on Sunday, they promised to arrive on Monday. They arrived on Monday and at the meeting held at the MITROS Suites, Ibara, Abeokuta, the NWC panel told us the primary would hold on Tuesday.”
“The party members were all in their wards waiting for the NWC panel, but they never showed up. The primary is conducted after three consecutive postponements by the Muhammad Indabawa-led seven-man panel sent by the NWC of the APC to the state.”
“We became suspicious of the panel when it said it would be using ballot papers to conduct the primary in the state. We are working within the ambits of the constitution and guidelines of the party. It was emphatically stated that the election would hold on Tuesday.”
Be that as it may, the Muhammad Ndabawa-led electoral committee sent to Ogun State by the National Working Committee (NWC), said; “Prince Abiodun polled 102, 305 votes to emerge winner. Other contestants – Jimi Lawal scored 51,153 votes while Abimbola Ashiru polled 29,764 votes, Senator Gbenga Kaka got 17,771 votes and Abayomi Hunye 9,110 votes while Adekunle Akinlade scored 23,443 votes. I am not aware of an earlier announcement by the state chapter.”
“My committee is the authentic body constituted by the NWC to conduct and supervise governorship primary in the state in line with the party guidelines and constitution.”
It is noteworthy that Akinlade is the anointed candidate of Governor Ibikunle Amosun and the consensus candidate of the Yewa Elders Council.