Tag: Governor Rotimi Akeredolu

Ondo state Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has denied reports making the rounds that he imposed candidates for state and national assemblies in the state. TheNewsGuru.com reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has set up committee ahead of the screening exercise in preparation of the party's primaries slated to begin next week. Speaking on the imposition of candidates in the state, governor Akeredolu , said that he wouldn't impose candidates on the party, stressing that it would be a level playing field for everyone. This is contrary to the information being fed to stakeholders of the party who have been in conflict over which candidates would emerge. There were earlier reports indicating a disagreement between the governor and his deputy over some of the candidates to be supported for the House of Assembly elections. The Gubernatorial election position will not be contested for in Ondo state in 2023, only Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats will be contested for. In April, while meeting with over 200 aspirants for the House of Assembly, Mr Akeredolu advised serving lawmakers to do self-evaluation before contesting for the party’s tickets again. Corroborating his stance, Richard Olatunde, the chief press secretary to the governor, said in a statement on Friday that his principal hasn't endorsed any aspirant. He blamed the “rumours” on people trying to sow discord and undermine democracy within the party. “This is a clear attempt by those with tainted party loyalty to box the APC into a state of helplessness in order to whittle down the supremacy of the party,” Mr Olatunde said. “Blackmail cannot stop the resolve of the party to enforce individual and collective discipline through democratic processes as enunciated in the various stakeholders’ sessions in the last three weeks. “As an incurable democrat, Governor Akeredolu has always preached and supported fairness, equity and justice even in playing his leadership role in the affairs of the party in the state and at the national level. “Governor Akeredolu is a loud voice in the struggle for fairness and the need for the party to walk the path of equity in the forthcoming elections. He will not lead any struggle that will defeat his beliefs and strong convictions.