Ondo APC Leaders at Loggerheads with Tinubu, Reject Anointed Candidate
They also asked Bola Tinubu to allow the APC governorship primary scheduled for August 27 to hold as planned and let a popular candidate emerge through a democratic process.
The aspirants said the plan by Tinubu to sponsor and endorse Abraham for the purpose of imposing him on them would derail the seamless and democratic process aimed at selecting the party’s candidate by delegates.
A recent report had claimed that Tinubu planned to impose Abraham on other aspirants and that he summoned all the APC leaders in Ondo State to a meeting in Lagos and asked them to support his candidate.
Tinubu was reported to have also promised to spend huge sum of money to offer financial support to ensure Abraham’s victory in the November governorship election.
But the APC Publicity Secretary in Ondo State, Mr. Steve Otaloro, denied that they were invited to Lagos by Tinubu to endorse Abraham.
All attempts to reach Abraham were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls to his telephone line nor responded to the text message sent to him.
Also efforts to reach Tinubu’s media aide, Mr. Sunday Dare on Thursday were unsuccessful as his mobile telephone line was not reachable. On Friday evening when his telephone rang, he neither answered calls to the line nor responded to a text message sent to it.
One of Tinubu’s close associates, who spoke to one of our correspondents, denied that the party leader was attempting to impose a candidate on the party.
“I’m telling you that it’s not true; everybody is using Asiwaju’s name, which is natural,” he said.But the aspirants dismissed the denial, saying they were aware some party leaders met with Tinubu in Lagos over the matter.
The aspirants said Abraham should be allowed to contest in the primary alongside others if he is popular.
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