The National Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has been charged to ensure that the gubernatorial primaries of the party in Ondo State which comes up in a fortnight is free, transparent and credible. A political activist, John Adeyemi, who is based in Akure, the Ondo State capital, stated it was only through a transparent process that a popular candidate can emerge, adding that any imposition of candidate or manipulation of the process would be counterproductive.

He observed that the APC has lost considerable grounds since Chief Rotimi Akeredolu became the Governor about four years ago because of his unilateral style of administration which has allegedly sidelined a lot of key party leaders of the state. Adeyemi noted as follows: “Under the watch of Aketi, the State lost the Presidential and National Assembly polls in 2019 to the opposition PDP. Giving him the ticket is a big gamble and risk that the party can ill-afford. This election is not about emotions and sentiments. If the APC wants to win the election, the candidate cannot be Akeredolu. He has become a very divisive figure in the party.”

The divisive leadership of the governor, according to Adeyemi, is evidenced in the resignations of the key members of the Cabinet, including the Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, the Secretary to the State Government, and some Commissioners.

Continuing, Adeyemi said: “In the case of the Deputy Governor, he not only resigned, he has defected from the ruling APC to the opposition PDP alongside his supporters. This has created a serious crisis of confidence in the Akeredolu Government. It is widely feared that if Akeredolu is fielded to run, the APC would lose the election.

“This is why most of the stakeholders are calling for free, fair and transparent primaries so that the party can throw up a popular and credible candidate that can easily defeat the opposition PDP in the governorship election which has been scheduled towards the end of the year. The poor governance of the state has led to the emergence of a major political coalition in APC, the Unity Forum, comprising mainly gubernatorial aspirants who are flustered by the regrettable turn of events in the state under Governor Akeredolu. These aspirants have resolved among themselves to present a consensus candidate that would challenge Akeredolu at the primaries.”

Among the leading members of the Unity Forum are Chief Olusola Oke, SAN; Dr. Olusegun Abrahams; Amb. Sola Iji; Alhaji Olarenwaju Kazeem; Jimmy Odimayo; Ife Oyedele; and Alhaji Olanusi, a former Deputy Governor of the state. Political analysts believe that APC would be in danger of losing the election in the state to PDP if the incumbent is through under any underhand arrangement is allowed to retain the ticket.

A former State Chairman of the party and also one of the gubernatorial aspirants seeking the APC ticket, Isaac Kekemeke, recently decried what he described as the poor performance and leadership style of Akeredolu, saying that the party would lose if he (Akeredolu) was fielded. In his words, “Akeredolu has tried his best for the state; he has labored and sweated; he has stretched himself to the limit. We can`t ask him to perform beyond his best.”

A good number of political analysts in the state share the same view with Kekemeke. They fear that the APC would be walking on the path of disaster if it fails to get its primaries in order.

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