Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu's All progressives Congress, APC Candidacy for the fast approaching governorship election in Ondo State may be shaky as the appeal committee will today begin sitting following petitions from SEVEN aggrieved aspirants who participated in the last gubernatorial primary election of the party.
This is as even a chieftain of the APC has revealed and listed some fake names concocted into the delegate list who may have participated in the election.
The APC’ Ondo Governorship Primary Appeal Committee has started sitting after confirming the receipt of two petitions as of Tuesday.
A member of the committee, Alhaji Musa Umar, confirmed this in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday, TodayNG reports
He explained that the committee began sitting in line with the mandate given to it by the party.
Although an unconfirmed report claimed that the committee had received seven petitions, Umar could only confirm two.
He, however, said there were some petitions submitted to the party’s national secretariat which the committee was waiting to receive.
Umar said, “We have started sitting. I can only confirm two petitions which we received yesterday (Tuesday) but we understand there are others at the (party) secretariat which we are expecting will be brought for us to consider.”
He, however, declined to give further details because according to him, the committee’s work is still ongoing.
Earlier, some APC leaders from Ondo State had in a petition sent to the Appeal Committee called for the cancellation of the primary and the conduct of a fresh one.
Signatories to the petitions include the Chairman of the APC in Ondo Central Senatorial District, Mr. Adegboyega Adedipe; his counterpart from Ondo East, Mr. Akintunde Samuel and that of Ondo West, Mr. Adeola Ademulegun.
The petitioners had alleged that the delegates’ list was manipulated in favour of one of the candidates.
The petition partly read, “A strange delegate list was introduced on the night of the election after everybody had gone to sleep only for us to wake up in the morning of the election to see a massively corrupted delegates’ list.
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“Names of 47 per cent of delegates in Ondo East were either deleted or substituted with people who are unknown to the party as executive members.
“Some of the injected names were not even aware of the development and so did not come for the election.
“In all, a total number of 64 names were injected into the delegates’ list. The names were unknown to the party.
“For instance, somebody who never contested any election and some even unknown to the party suddenly became ward chairmen in wards four, six, two and seven of the Ondo East Local Government.
Reacting to the development, the APC National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Isunaso, said, “Nobody can react now. There is an appeal panel and party officials would make statement on the primary without the appeal (committee) concluding its work.
“Anything l say now can jeopardise the committee’s work. Let the appeal finish their work, then we can talk.”
Akintunde Temitope, an APC chieftain and the immediate past chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo East Local Government has revealed the alleged fake names that were injected into the delegates list used for the party’s governorship primary election on Saturday.
It will be recalled that one of the contestants, Chief Oke, had alleged that some “fake” delegates voted in the Ondo Primary.
According to Mr Temitope, a strange delegates list was introduced on the night of the election.
He said this in a petition to the Chairman of the Governorship Appeal Committee.
He said “names of 47 per cent of the legitimate delegates in Ondo East Local Government were either deleted or substituted with people who are unknown to the party as exco members. Some of the injected names are not even aware of the development and so did not come for the primary election.”
Temitope attached the list containing the names of ‘fake’ delegates. Those identified include Olagunju Kayode designated as Local Secretary of the APC; Barrister Oke, Legal Adviser; Dickson Adeyale Financial Secretary; Folasuyan Simon, Organising Secretary; Fatai Fagun, Assistant Publicity Secretary; Azees Rafiu, Assistant Youth Leader; Alhaji Adeniyi Ex-Officio (2) and Bayo Olafusi Ex-Officio (3).
In ward 1, the fake delegates identified were Akikuolie Omowale who claimed to be Ward Secretary; Arowolo Seto, Ward Treasurer; Idowu Adedoyin, Ward Financial Secretary; Nasiru Haruna, Ward Publicity Secretary and Akinmotimu Sina, Ward Youth Leader.
For Ward 3, the impersonators wereOdunayo Dada, Ward Secretary; Akintade Grace, Ward Treasurer, Sunny Hammed, Ward Financial Secretary; Ebenezer Gbadebo, Ward Publicity Secretary and Sunny Rasaki, Ward Youth Leader.
In Ward 4, the fake names identified were Tijani Akeem Ward Chairman; Adebisi Murtala, Ward Vice Chairman; Akintunde Rotimi, Ward Secretary; Fagbenle Gbenga, Ward Financial Secretary; Olanrewaju Toyin, Ward Organising Secretary and Abidemi Odugbemi, Ward Woman Leader.
In Ward 5, Wiwuloku Ayodeji, Ward Secretary; Caroline Olajide, Ward Treasurer; Olawunmi Oluwaseyi, Ward Financial Secretary; Fredrick Uwabueze, Ward Publicity Secretary; Gabriel Michael Ward Welfare Secretary and Giwa Fidelis, Ward Youth Leader.
For Ward 6, the fake delegates identified include Okoro Babatunde, Ward Chairman; Kingsley Ani, Ward Organising Secretary; Fibian Itodo, Ward Welfare Secretary and Mary Gabriel, Ward Woman Leader.
Ward 7 list contained Gbenga Akindugbagbe as Ward Chairman; Yinusa Jamiu, Ward Vice Chairman; John Adeyoriju, Ward Secretary; Peter Daniel, Ward Organising Secretar and Idowu Enipola, Ward Welfare Secretary.
Ward 8 contained the following fictitious names: Iyola Ayoade, Ward Secretary; Owolarafe Muruf, Ward Treasurer; Ajiboye Iyabo, Ward Financial Secretary; Azees Kolawole, Ward Organising Secretary and Lateef Saheed, Ward Youth Leader.
In Ward 9 the list include Akinsulire Ademola, Ward Secretary; Agbe Abel, Ward Treasurer; Ibikunle Taye, Ward Organising Secretary and Ganiyu Yunisa. Ward Youth Leader.
In Ward 10 the thre fake delegates identified were Lamidi Ajadi, Ward Financial Secretary; Kazeem Olagunju, Ward Publicity Secretary and Fasae Clement, Ward Youth Leader.
Meanwhile, one of the aspirants of the APC in Ondo State, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, has said the alleged error on the delegates’ list used for the last Saturday’s primary had nothing to do with the victory of the winner of the election, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Not satisfied with the result of the primary, two of the aspirants, Chief Olusola Oke and Dr. Segun Abraham as well as some other leaders of the party rejected the result on the grounds that the delegates’ list used for the exercise was allegedly doctored.
Abayomi, however, noted that Oke had a right of appeal which he could exercise but saying his claim on the delegates’ lists was unjustifiable and unnecessary.