The chairman of the Southern Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has distanced himself from reports linking him with the endorsement of one of the aspirants jostling for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in the 2023 general election.
Akeredolu in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, (CPS) Richard Olatunde, described as false, the media reports which claimed he has purportedly endorsed a particular aspirant, saying the report was designed to drag him into unnecessary controversy despite public knowledge of his position as the chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum that power and Presidency should shift to the South.
Akeredolu however, reiterated the stand of the Southern Governors that equity and fairness demand that the Presidency should come to the South in 2023 and insisted that power must shift and the South should produce the next president of the country.
He called on members of the APC and the public to disregard the statement credited to him on his choice of an aspirant for the 2023 election as it does not represent the collective decision of the Southern Governors’ Forum which he is leading.
The statement reads: “Our attention has just been drawn to a statement widely circulated and credited to the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, purportedly endorsing a particular presidential aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The statement, largely laced with partisan interest and fluid narrative was not authored by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN. The intention of the writer, though juvenile, was to drag the Governor into unnecessary declarations, despite public knowledge of his position as the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum.
“Nevertheless, Governor Akeredolu has continued to reiterate the stance of his brother Governors in the Southern Nigeria Governor’s Forum on the need for the south to produce the next President of the country in the spirit of equity and fairness.
“In clear terms, the widely circulated statement never emanated from Governor Akeredolu. It was, obviously, driven by overzealous partisan interests calculated to exploit the political capital of the Governor for personal gains”
The statement stated further that “We, however, urge members of the public, particularly, members of the APC and the party supporters to disregard the statement as it does not represent the collective decision of the Southern Governors’ Forum which Governor Akeredolu leads.
“Succinctly, Governor Akeredolu as a leader and stakeholder in the Southern Presidency agitation is committed to the interest of the Southern Nigeria geopolitical zone. He will not descend into an arena of partisanship to jeopardize the interest of the forum he leads.”
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