The All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally concluded all arrangements for today’s governorship primary election in Ondo State after its postponement on two different occasions.

Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State-led five-man Primary Election Committee was inaugurated on Thursday by the APC National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

The primary election holds today (Saturday), September 3, 2016 in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
Senator Izunaso, who spoke during the inauguration, charged the Badaru-led Election Committee to ensure that the primary election was free, fair and transparent.
“We (the APC) have twenty-four 24 aspirants that were screened, cleared and are qualified to contest the election. We have met with all the 24 aspirants at the party level and we have assured them the primaries must be free, fair and transparent. We have no doubt that the team we have assembled will do justice to the desire of our party…In line with the Electoral Act, the candidate with the highest number of votes will be declared winner of the election.
“We do not have a governor right now in Ondo State. But I believe that with this exercise, we will have a governor in November in Ondo State. Once the exercise is transparent, free and fair, what is between us and the government house of Ondo State will be two months,” said Izunaso.
The Jigawa State governor said the Committee would be just and fair to all the contestants, giving an assurance that the election will be transparent, free and fair.
“I assure aspirants that the Committee will not take any side but the side of the truth. We will do our job diligently and with the fear of God. And I assure you that the end result will be one that everybody will be happy about,” Badaru also said.
He said international passport, permanent voter card or national identity card would be used to identify the delegates.

“Any one of the three will be able to solve the identification problem,” he said.
“In the first place, I don’t believe in juju. So, certainly I am surely not afraid,” Governor Badaru said in response to a question on whether he had any fear over the placing of fetish object at the APC secretariat in Akure last Monday morning, an action condemned by Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, the Deji of Akure in a statement issued by Michael Adeyeye, his Chief Press Secretary.
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led APC National Working Committee (NWC) had released the list of the 3000 delegates for the primary election.

The APC national chairman had promised to provide the list of the delegates for transparency during a meeting he had with the 24 governorship aspirants on the party’s platforms.
The APC South West National Vice-Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, last Monday also said the party was committed to a free, fair and transparent process that would see the candidate with the most votes emerge as flag bearer for November 26, 2016 Ondo State governorship election.
Chief Akinyelure stated that the APC is on course to achieve success in the November 26 election going by the number of aspirants that expressed interest in flying the party’s flag.
He said it was an indication of the confidence the gubernatorial aspirants repose in the APC’s chances in the gubernatorial elections, particularly against the background of the abysmal performance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration in the last eight years.
He said various allegations, insinuations and innuendoes as regards the transparency, impartiality and integrity of the intra-party process was not unusual in the context of intense competition for the ticket of a popular party like the APC.

He said it was an unfair underestimation to insinuate that 3000 delegates will have no minds of their own and can be herded in a given direction through any form of ‘imposition’ or ‘endorsement’.
The APC chieftain, however, noted that the party constitution did not forbid those who had invested resources in the emergence of the party from throwing their weight behind aspirants of their choice. The critical factor, he added, is that no one can alter the delegates’ list.
Pundits say the assurances being given by various stakeholders are meant to douse tension that followed alleged plot to impose one of the governorship aspirants.
Today’s primary election was postponed twice after the party had faced revolt from the aspirants who had earlier shown lack of confidence in the Ondo State APC chairman, Mr Isaac Kekemeke for allegedly supporting one of the contenders believed to have been endorsed by the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Penultimate Saturday, the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said the party leaders at both national and state levels had no preferred candidate ahead of the governorship primary election. Odigie-Oyegun said this at the APC national secretariat in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting he held with the party’s chairman and secretary in Ondo, Mr Kekemeke and Mr Rotimi Rahman, including the 24 governorship aspirants.
The meeting was convened, following the crisis that rocked the state chapter of the party after the state chairman, Mr Kekemeke, was accused of backing one of the aspirants, Mr Segun Abraham, who was said to have been endorsed by Tinubu.
Mr Tunji Abayomi, one of the APC governorship aspirants, consequently told Tinubu to stay clear of the contest in a letter. But Tinubu replied by telling him that he had right to endorse any of the aspirants.
Reacting to the issue that led to a purported replacement of Kekemeke with Mr Saka Ogunleye as chairman by some party members, the APC national chairman said all the aspirants accepted that it was not wrong if any member endorsed anyone among them.
“We have accepted unanimously that no attempt will be made by the party to impose any aspirant on them and the electorate. They (aspirants) are equal members of the party. The state branch of the party must not be seen to be imposing any aspirant because they have secret trust to be even-handed to all aspirants. We believe it is the choice of delegates to indicate their preference,” said Odigie-Oyegun.
He also dismissed reports that there were many versions of delegates’ list, adding that all the aspirants had promised to support the eventual winner of the primary election if the contest was free, fair and transparent.
“It (the meeting) indicates clearly our commitment to ensure that Ondo returns to the fold of progressive party,” he added.
Mr Kekemeke, however, said that he had no preferred aspirant. “My preferred aspirant is the one who is able to garner the majority of votes,” he said.
The 24 aspirants struggling to pick the APC governorship ticket today include Barrister Rotimi
Akeredolu, the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 election, and a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA); Abraham Michael Olusegun, the aspirant believed to have received the backing of Tinubu; Chief Olusola Oke, the 2012 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate; Dr Tunji Abayomi, who spearheaded the APC aspirants who advised Tinubu to stay clear of the Ondo contest; Professor Robert Ajayi Boroffice, who is the current senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District; Hon. Olabode Mathew Ayorinde, who is the incumbent member of the House of Representatives and Victor Olabimtan, who is a former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly.
Other aspirants are Akinyelure Patrick Ayo, Alasoadura Omotayo D., Awodeyi-Akinsehinwa Akintola, Ekungba Jamiu Afolabi, Oyewumi Akinboye Taiwo, Anifowoshe Jumoke, Ariyomo Olatunji, Niran-Oladunni Moyosola, Adegbonmire Adeniyi (SAN), Adegoroye Ademola A., Adesida-Abiodun Aderin Esq., Adetula Olubukola, Adefemi Foluso Mayowa, Akingbade Akinwale, Akinola Akinyinka, Akinrinsola Odumayo O., and Akintelure Pau