Ondo 2016: APC will not disintegrate over large number of aspirants —Kekemeke

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, on Monday, said the number of aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket in the forthcoming governorship election, would not disintegrate the party ahead of its primaries.

The party’s chairman in the state, Honourable Isaacs Kekemeke, who stated this in Akure, Ondo State capital, while rolling rules for the conduct of the party’s primaries in the state, described the prediction as an illusion of the ruling party in the state.

Kekemeke said “the least of the APC aspirant is better than the best aspirant in PDP. The people of the state have resolved not to vote for a party with no national leadership.”

He said the party’s primaries would be free, fair and devoid of rancour and disclosed that the APC primaries would hold between August and September.

Speaking on the need to put in place rules for the conduct of gubernatorial primary election, Kekemeke said the rules became imperative in order to moderate the campaigns and conduct of party’s aspirants.

Kekemeke said the aim was also to create friendly atmosphere saying “ observation of events in the past weeks from various camps of the aspirants has not only shown a tendency that is capable of resulting in clashes; it has also shown that a lot more needs to be done by the party to achieve a peaceful primaries.”

The APC chairman, however, said that pending the issuance of guidelines for the primaries, the state executive has resolved that: “all aspirants must endeavour to promote unity and peace in the party and among fellow aspirants.”

“Campaign should be issue and programme based and devoid of mudslinging, acrimony and attack on fellow aspirants, either in the prints media, airwaves, social media or other verbal means.”

Kekemeke also said the party leadership in the state also resolved that all intending aspirant should signify his intention to the party with a letter of notification to be accompanied by N2 million bank draft meant for the party’s development levy.

He said “To be attached to the letter is a written undertaken to abide by the outcome of the party’s primaries and to work for the victory of the party in the November 2016 governorship election.

“No person will be recognised by the party in the state as aspirant for the APC primaries or governorship ticket for the November election without the submission of the letter of notification to the party’s secretariat.”