Ondo APC group calls for fair, transparent gov primary

As the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State prepares for the governorship election, a group within the party, the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG) has called for a free, fair, transparent and peaceful primary.

The director general, Honourable Olumuyiwa Asagunla, who made this appeal while unveiling the group in Akure, Ondo state capital.

Asagunla appealed to the leadership of the party, both at the national and state, to give equal opportunities to all aspirants, irrespective of background or affiliation.

According to him, the group is committed to democratic process and rule of law as the guilding principles in all endeavours.

Asagunla explained that the group was not put together to promote any governorship aspirant but to ensure internal democracy in order and ensure dividends of democracy for the people of Ondo State.

He said the group which is being backed by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was aimed at stabilising the political atmosphere ahead of the 2024 governorship election without bias to any aspirant within the ruling APC fold.

Asagunla, expressed confidence in the ability of President Tinubu and the APC national leadership to douse political tension ahead of the governorship election

He said: “As a group, We will be more confident and self-reliant in cultivating the features of sincere political diplomacy.

“Our state’s development and rejuvenation will always be based on our own efforts, and the future of the people of the state will always be in our own hands.

“We will remain firm in pursuing the campaign of peace, and resolutely safeguard the sovereignty of the state from hijackers toward a more robust national dignity.

“As we birth this group, we will be open and inclusive and conduct consultations with a broad vision.

“We will consolidate and expand our collective network of partnerships, promote a new type of communal relations, and promote mutual respect and mutual learning between civilizations and development, between the government and the governed.

“We will strive for stability in the state, pursue common progress with all indigenous and residents of the state, and rejuvenation with fellow progressives in the South West for a start.

“The group  will uphold fairness and justice in the countdown to the political party’s primaries and further establish the ethos of Collectiveness.”

Another leader of the group and the state representative on the Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Honourable Otito Atikase, emphasized that the group is not supporting any aspirant.

Atikase said the group would support whoever emerges as the APC governorship candidate, saying the party remains a party to beat in any election.

He said:  “We must have consistent policies and sustain being in government and all of us must work in agreement and be on the same page at all times.That is how to sustain and unite the party and we will follow suit.

Meanwhile the group is expected to host prominent leaders within the all progressives congress including the visionary behind the Group, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunj-Ojo for the grand launch of the group scheduled for a later date.

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