The anointed candidate of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, Chief Segun Abraham, and two other top Governorship aspirants during the last APC Gubernatorial Primary in Ondo State, have threatened to dump the party.
The other two aspirants are: Chief Olusola Oke, and Robert Ajayi Boroffice.
The proposed defection was based on the decision of the leadership of the APC, to uphold the election of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, as the candidate of the party, despite allegations of rigging during the primary election.
The trio also took a swipe at the leadership of the APC, over its refusal to implement the report of the Appeal Committee of the party, which recommended the nullification of the primary election that produced Akeredolu as the candidate of the party.
The aspirants ruled out the possibility of supporting Akeredolu to win the November 26 Governorship election in the State, while threatening to dump the party for a new platform, in order to contest the forthcoming election.
Addressing reporters at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Press Centre in Akure, the State capital, the aspirants condemned the APC National Chairman, John Oyegun, for his ‘undemocratic behaviour’, by overruling the decision of the National Working Committee, NWC.
Boroffice, who spoke on behalf of the other aggrieved aspirants, said they are already consulting with their people, and would soon make public their next line of action that would liberate the people from the present state of hopelessness and despair.
“The appeal committee within the mandate of their authority, having regards to the preponderance of evidence laid before it, recommended that the election be nullified, and another election be conducted.
“The majority of the members of the NWC, voted that the recommendations of the appeal committee be upheld. To our dismay and in a manner at variance with democratic norms, the National Chairman overruled the majority of the NWC.“He rejected the path of truth, and upheld the primary election that its process was characterized with corruption. Let it be known that we are not deterred by the action of the NWC, and the undemocratic behaviour of the Chairman.“We are encouraged by the genuine desire of the people of Ondo State, for a change that will free them from the economic captivity of the present administration in the State.“We are determined to liberate our people, and no undemocratic decision of a party and its leadership, would be allowed to misdirect our attention from the goal. We condemn in absolute terms, the undemocratic decision of the NWC.“Since our party, and the official leaders of the party have found pleasure in covering fraud, we owe the people of Ondo State a sacred duty of liberation. This we are committed to, and this we shall do,” Boroffice said.He added: “We have no personal position. We will come out later with a clean and clear position within the shortest period of time.“I have not moved out of APC, when I am ready, I will shout it and address the press.”
In reaction, the APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, has dismissed the claims by Boroffice, saying that, “voting on the issue, did not arise in view of the NWC’s rejection of the Appeal Committee’s report.”