As Ondo’s governorship election approaches, efforts by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to resolve internal party conflicts have encountered setbacks.
Some senior party members have openly rejected the party’s candidate, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and have even pledged to work against him in the upcoming election.
Sources confirm that the APC’s national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, had previously met with disgruntled aspirants who had lost the governorship ticket to Aiyedatiwa.
During the meeting in Akure, these aspirants had expressed their commitment to working for the victory of the party. However, tensions have resurfaced as certain chieftains of the party continue to resist the leadership’s efforts.
In a petition dated November 6, 2024, the Ondo Patriots, a faction within the APC, revealed that they had adopted Otunba Benson Akingboye of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as their preferred candidate for the November 16 governorship election.
The petition, signed by Comrade Dele Oyewo, the Forum Coordinator, cited the controversial emergence of Aiyedatiwa as a key reason for their decision.
The petition stressed that the manner in which Aiyedatiwa was selected as the APC candidate undermined party unity and internal democracy.
The group also accused the APC national leadership of insincerity and expressed confidence that the SDP candidate would triumph in the election.
“We cannot continue to die in silence and showcase total loyalty to the destiny wasters in our state,” the petition read, further accusing the APC leadership of disregarding the concerns of the youth in Ondo state. The letter also warned that the ongoing discontent within the party could lead to unrest if the situation was not addressed.
The Ondo Patriots emphasized that Akingboye, who shares a political philosophy similar to that of President Bola Tinubu, was a better alternative for the state.
They urged the national leadership of the APC to heed their concerns, warning that failure to do so could result in significant consequences for the party’s prospects in the governorship election.
