The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) report on the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary held on April 20 in Ondo State said there was no election in 147 Wards out the 203 Wards in the state.
We reports that the INEC document also revealed that in the remaining 56 Wards which constitute about 28 per cent, there were non-compliance with the approved guidelines for the party’s primary.
The INEC officers claimed in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of their reports that electoral materials were not available and collation did take place in 147 Wards.
The reports were written by INEC officials who monitored the election in all the 203 Wards and the Electoral Officers in all the 18 local government areas of the state.
The APC Governorship Primary Election Committee led by Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State had on April 22 declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the party’s primary held on April 20 and April 21.
Ododo said Aiyedatiwa polled 48,569 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mayowa Akinfolarin, who had 15,343 out of 95,178 valid votes counted.
Some of the aspirants including Wale Akinterinwa, Chief Olusola Oke, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim and Olugbenga Edema, have criticised election, alleging violence and the non-arrival of materials and officials in most of the wards.
Reports of 12 local government electoral officers of INEC out of the 18 local government areas, who monitored the primary, stated that election did not hold in their respective council areas.
Following the INEC report, there are palpable fear among APC faithful in the state that the party may not be on the ballot in the November 16 governorship election.
A member of the State Working Committee of the party, who pleaded for anonymity, told our reporter that “if these reports are true, then we (APC) have problems in our hands.
“We need to mend fences immediately so that our case will not be like that of Zamfara state and Rivers State. I’m optimistic that the leadership of the party will step into the issue.”
Credit thefrontrank
