Barely three days to the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Ondo State, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has extended the olive branch to all his adversaries in the party.
Akeredolu made the gesture yesterday at the Governors Office, Akure, while receiving the Ondo APC Reconciliation Committee for the election led by the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello.
He noted that it was imperative for all party leaders and members to sheathe their swords for the benefit of the party, especially in view of the October 10, 2020, governorship election in the state.
“We must allow for peace. Let us get all of us the aspirants to sign that whoever wins, others will support him. Anybody I have offended I will apologise to the person. We must allow for peace,” he said.
The committee was set up by the APC National Caretaker Committee to meet with leaders and members of the party in the state for reconciliation before the polls.
Chairman of the committee, Bello, said the main objective of the committee was to reconcile all APC faithful in the state. However, many of the aspirants including the pioneer state chairman of the party, Isaac Kekemeke; Olusola Oke and Olayide Adelami, were conspicuously absent at the meeting convened by the committee.
Those that were present included Sola Iji, Bukola Adetula, Jimi Odimayo and Ife Oyedele, while others were said to have sent representatives to the meeting held yesterday at Heritage Hotel, Akure.
However, Oke arrived the venue shortly after Akeredolu had departed, describing the reconciliation meeting as a wasted effort. He excused his lateness on the fact that he got the notice of the meeting late.
According to him, there was nothing new in the meeting.The two-term governorship candidate in the state, however, declared he would not boycott the election.
“I don’t boycott any election. It is not in my character and it is not advisable. Under the electoral law, if you boycott or you don’t participate, you cannot challenge,” he said. Eleven out of the 12 governorship aspirants of the party had rejected indirect primary, clamouring for direct primary option ahead of the election.
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