Nigeria's Ambassador To Togo Threatens APC Ondo

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Togo, Olusola Joseph Iji, has threatened to sue the All Progressives Congress (APC) if it uses the indirect primary mode to elect its governorship candidate in Ondo State, without adhering to the party’s constitution.

Iji, who is also a governorship aspirant, said the indirect primary mode was used in the past without election of delegates, as stipulated in the APC constitution.

He said that party executives were converted to delegates in the past against the APC constitution, which provided that five delegates per ward should be elected alongside statutory delegates to vote at the indirect primary.

Iji spoke yesterday in Akure where he presented his nomination and expression of interest forms to the state executive of the party headed by Ade Adetimehin, an engineer.

Iji, who denied allegations that he planned to step down for Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said that it was unfair for the governor to seek the party’s ticket for the third consecutive time.

He said he would not be surprised if Akeredolu resigned from the party as Governor Godwin Obaseki did in Edo State.

Iji hinged his reasons on the support Akeredolu gave to the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2019 general election.
Said he: “I have advised the party headquarters about the constitutional provision. In indirect primaries, there will be special congresses at the ward level where the party will elect delegates that will go to the Electoral College to vote in the candidate. In the direct primaries, the party members elect the candidates.

“I have the timetable. I have not been told that there will be election of delegates. What happened during the time of Oyegun was that unconstitutionally,  they converted the party executives to delegates.

It is not just talking about it. It is a constitutional matter. Those gunning for indirect primaries misunderstood the party’s constitution. If they do that they will meet us in court.

“I will not step down for Akeredolu. For him to express interest that he wants to contest, having secured the party’s ticket twice and he wants to get it again, means it is inequitable.

He ought not to do that if he is a fair-minded person. We are in the same party. If he alone can get it three consecutive times, what happens to others?

“Akeredolu has exhausted his tenure as a governor. I will never abuse him and I will never criticise him. We are a party that is growing and developing.

We are bound to have some of these challenges and crises. We will get out of the problems. APC is an organisation and individuals will come and go.

“I am very confident that I have the capacity to win the primary election. The last time the governor supported AA. I won’t be surprised if our governor does same here as Edo. I won’t be surprised.”

Adetimehin said that the Ondo APC was one united family having one secretariat.

He said a level playing field would be provided for the aspirants to test their strength.