Ondo poll: Why APC will not punish ‘erring’ governors, others

There are strong indications that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not punish some of its governors and prominent chieftains in the South-West for their alleged anti-party activities during the recent governorship election held in Ondo State.

The affected APC chieftains were said to have played prominent role in the attempt to stop the eventual winner, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), as the party’s flag-bearer in the election.

While the APC national leadership had a preference for Akeredolu as its candidate, the said party chieftains as well as the affected governors rooted for Mr segun Abraham, a situation which polarised the party and almost marred its chances at the poll.

The party’s primary, allegedly characterised with flaws, was upheld by the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, even as one of its aspirants, Chief Olusola Oke, eventually defected to pick the ticket of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to contest the election.

However, in a bid to checkmate the party’s decision after the failure of their anointed candidate to pick the ticket, the APC chieftains and the affected governors were said to have bankrolled the AD candidate in the election, Oke, who had earlier participated in the APC primary.

In the aftermath of the APC victory at the governorship election, the rumour mill was agog that the affected party chieftains would face stiff penalties and possible sanctions for their alleged anti-party activities.

But, as gathered by Saturday Tribune, the party leadership has no interest in punishing its perceived erring members or chieftains, but is rather concerned with further consolidating on its gains so far since the 2015 elections and the victory attained at the Ondo governorship election.”

In response to an inquiry on the issue, national publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Bolaji Abdullahi, in a telephone interview, said APC had no plan to investigate anybody, saying that the focus of the leadership was on building the party.

He said, “as far as we are concerned, it is still an allegation. The election has come and gone. As a party, we are committed to building stronger relationship. This is not the time to start reviewing the role of individuals. There is no such plan to investigate anybody”.

The APC national image maker also said the congratulatory messages sent by President Muhammadu Buhari and other party chieftains to the governor-elect, Akeredolu, was very clear, stressing that, ”as far as the Ondo State election is concerned, we have moved on”.

Abdullahi’s assertion was, however, was contradictory to the claims by source at the APC national secretariat that the party would have taken action against the affected party chieftains and the governors had it been that the party lost out in the Ondo governorship election.

The source however corroborated the stand by Abdullahi as he said since the party won the election, there was no need to start another round of in-fighting, adding that the party was working to mend fences and bridge the perceived missing links in the party.