Three governorship aspirants from the All Progressives Congress (APC) who participated in the primary election have filed a petition before the primary appeal committee chaired by the former governor of Bauchi state, Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar.
Among the petitioners were Wale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema, and Jimi Odimayo.
Akinterinwa’s appeal was based on the contention that the primary election violated the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Constitution of the APC, and the party’s guidelines set by the Committee for the Ondo State gubernatorial primary election.
He highlighted the absence of the promised distribution of election materials by the committee and the failure to conduct elections in any of the 203 wards in Ondo state.
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Akinterinwa emphasized the committee’s non-compliance with its election guidelines and urged the Appeal committee to annul the election, expressing concern over the embarrassment it has caused the party.
Odimayo and Edema also echoed the call for the cancellation of the election in their respective petitions.
The chairman of the Appeal committee assured the party members of the committee’s commitment to address any complaints arising from the primary election.
He stated, “This committee intends to be thorough and transparent in treating any complaint that we will receive.”
“I can assure you that within a few days, we will consider the total number of petitions we received and render a report to the national headquarters of our party before the party takes a final decision on the issue of the primary,” he added.
As of now, only three petitions have been received by the committee, but they are open to receiving more.
The chairman emphasized that the consideration of a petition depends on the petitioner’s ability to substantiate their allegations with evidence.
The committee has established an office at the party’s headquarters for the collection of appeals.