The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State has appealed to the 15 aggrieved governorship aspirants who participated in the primary election, along with their supporters, to accept the outcome of the exercise and join forces with the party’s flag bearer, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
In a statement issued by the party’s publicity secretary in Akure, Alex Kalejaye emphasized the importance of unity and synergy for the APC to retain control of the Sunshine State in the upcoming November elections.
Kalejaye stated, “We urge Mr. Governor and the flag bearer to be magnanimous in victory and explore plausible avenues to engage with all aspirants on the platform of our party, in the interest of unity and cohesion.”
He added, “For the records, all the aspirants gave a good account of themselves, both while canvassing for support and during the primary election. In our estimation, they are all qualified to govern the State, but a candidate must emerge from the array of stars. We salute their individual courage to participate in the process.”
The statement applauded the scrutiny of the governorship primary election process by the National Working Committee and its subsequent endorsement of the exercise’s outcome, which took place on April 20, 2024.
“The party views the decision of the highest organ of the ruling party as a loud credence to the quality of the job done by the Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo-led election committee,” Kalejaye remarked.
He continued, “Reports from the party structures across the 18 local government areas and 203 wards show that members of the ruling party conducted themselves in an organized and peaceful manner. Our members’ peaceful disposition is highly commendable.”
The party expressed deep confidence in the emerged flag bearer, His Excellency, Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa, to lead the party to victory during the governorship election in November 2024.
“It further affirmed the candidate’s capacity, judging from his wealth of experience in both the private and public sectors, to ensure greater strides in the collective economic development aspirations for Ondo State,” Kalejaye added.
He concluded by expressing appreciation to the security organs, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and all other stakeholders for their contributions to the successful conduct of the primary election.