APC Moves To Mend Fences, Meets Ondo Guber Aspirants
The National leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for a reconciliatory meeting with the 16 aspirants in last weekend’s governorship primary election.
It is to douse the rancor from the Guber primary that has created a crack in the party.
InsideBusinessNG reliably gathered that 14 out of the 16 aspirants arrived at the party national secretariat on Thursday afternoon with the exception of the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party, Isaac Kekemeke and the immediate past Commissioner for Finance in the state, Wale Akinterinwa.
While the reason for Kekemeke’s absence is unknown, Akinterinwa is currently at the custody of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), over issues bordering on the state’s finances during his tenure as a commissioner .
While playing host to the aspirants, the national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje urged them to put the past behind and work together in the general interest of the party.
The former governor of Kano State who spoke with diplomacy noted that none of them is a loser but potential winners, using his personal experience of how he lost his first election and came back to win 16 years later to appease them.
“I have to thank you for honouring our invitation in the shortest time and also considering the emotional distress as a result of the primary conducted in few days. But equally the same, since we are all democrats we are used to ups and downs of politics. So I have to thank you for honouring our invitation.
“The purpose of this meeting is to appeal. The purpose is not to dwell on what has happened, what has not happened, what is correct, what is not correct. If we dwell on that then it will lead to what we call; ‘too much analysis leads to paralysis.
“ If we are to dwell on that, there are professors, amongst us, lawyers, some are engineers, even SAN. We who are less educated, the controversy will not cover us considering the galaxy of politicians who are here. So our own is to appeal to you.
“We in the party here are both insiders and outsiders. So when you say something is inside and also outside you have to think about that oxymoron. You have to think about that controversy.
“We are insiders because it is our party, that is a ruling party in Ondo state and we are the managers of our party in Nigeria. So we are an interested party even if it is a local government election. We are outsiders because this state belongs to you, this party belongs to you.
“ I am sure your prayer is that our party, your party should be the ruling party in Ondo state. I think this is our common focus, our party should be the ruling party in Ondo state. It is already a ruling party our prayer is that it should continue to be a ruling party in Ondo State.
“ So you see, we are here to appeal to you so that we succeed in maintaining this state as APC state. I appeal to you, we are all practitioners in this game, in this politics, in this agenda. If you recall, I contested for governorship in 1999, I lost. I couldn’t become a governor until after 16 years. I was patient enough. I was praying and I eventually became a governor after 16 sixteen years. So I can’t call you that you are lost aspirants. You are aspirants that will be successful tomorrow.” Ganduje appealed.
Earlier, there was a noticeable moment when aspirants were asked to introduce themselves, while Olusola Oke referred to himself as a former aspirant, the Senator representing Ondo South senatorial district, Jimoh Ibrahim reacted “former?”
Introducing himself, Ibrahim in a gesture that further signaled his disapproval of the outcome of the election, said “I’m an aspirant, contesting this primary election.
As at the time of filing this report, the party leadership are in a closed door meeting with the aspirants as it is important they have a common front ahead of the November governorship election in the state.
The 16 aspirants who participated in the election include the incumbent governor of the State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin, Olusola Oke, SAN, Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa, Hon. Isaac D. Kekemeke, Hon. Gbenga Edema, Ohunyeye Olamide Felix, Hon. Olujimi Odimayo, Olusoji Ehinlanwo, Morayo Lebi, Prince Diran Iyantan, Prof. Francis Faduyile, Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, Funmilayo Waheed Adekojo and Engr. Funke Omogoroye.