Seven APC Gov Aspirants Shun Reconciliation Meeting in Ondo

Seven APC governorship aspirants have shun a reconciliation meeting in Ondo State for undisclosed reason.

The reconciliation meeting was presided over by the Niger State Governor, Mallam Sani Bello, and was held at Heritage Hotel, Akure, the Ondo State Capital on Friday.

It was gathered that the motive of the meeting was to reconcile all the aggrieved members of the party ahead of the forthcoming primary and the main election in October.

Out of 12 aspirants, only five attended the meeting. Those who attended included: Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Sola Iji, Ife Oyedele, Bukola Adetula and Jimi Odimayo.

However, Chief Olusola Oke, Mr Isaac Kekemeke, Dr Segun Abraham, and others were absent at the meeting neither have their representative shown up.

In a related development, the chairman of the Ondo State All Progressives Congress Primary Election Committee, Governor Yahaya Bello, has said it was the sole responsibility and prerogative of the party to chose which way to carry out its primary.

He said this while responding to a question on the party’s position on the agitations by 11 of 12 aspirants for the party to jettison the indirect mode in favour of the direct mode .

The Kogi State Governor spoke shortly after the inauguration of the committee by the Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker Committee at the party’s National Secretariat, in Abuja, on Friday.

He said, “I was a contestant myself before. It is not for aspirants to dictate for the party the rules of the game.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission had published APC’s choice of indirect primary on its website.

Eleven aspirants had in response, demanded that the party use the direct mode which entails all card-carrying members of the party voting to chose the party candidate as against the indirect mode which vests such powers on delegates.