National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has declared to the aspirants seeking the party ticket ahead the governorship election in Ondo state that former Lagos state governor and the national leaders of the party has right to endorse anyone he feels can do the job.
Loading ...One of the aspirants, Tunji Abayomi had written an open letter to chief Tinubu complainning his endorsement for one of the aspirants Segun Abraham.
The party after a closed door meeting with all the aspirants at the national secretariat on Saturday, resolved that there is no crime if Tinubu or any other member had endorsed any of the aspirants.
“we have all accepted that there is nothing wrong in anybody being a member lf the party or non member endorsing any of the aspirants. We have also accepted unanimously that there will be no attempt on the part of the party to impose any aspirant on the party and on the electorates of Ondo state.
“We have done the very clear distinction between endorsement and imposition. I want to state in very clear terms and assure all the aspirants that the party at national level has n preferred aspirant and is jot going to endorse any aspirant. They are all equal members of the party who have entrusted us with the management of the affair of their party. So, we have the responsibility to be as impartial as is humanly possible.
“I want to make it clear and without doubt that the party has no preferred candidate either at national level or at state level
We have also promised to make a clean copy of the delegate list available to all aspirants by Wednesday and I have given the assurance that the original list has been in safe custody and that aspirants should please discontinuance all rumor in Ondo state of another delegate list. When it is refined, it will be handed over to the chairman of the primary committee that will conduct the primary who will be one of the governors of the APC and that is the only list that will be used for the purpose of the primary.
“I am particularly happy with the commitment of all the aspirants that once a free, fair primary can be assured, they will rally round whoever is chosen by the delegate as the candidate of the party.
But responding after the meeting, Tunji Abayomi, who wrote the open letter said: “Why I wrote the leeter; my motive was to ensure that the prescription of the constutition is strictly complied with and to ensure that apc oin ondo state has no candidate and has not endorsed anybody. If Asiwaju Tinubu has endorsed somebody, it is not the same thing as an endorsement by the apc and therefore the chairman of the party has clarified it. Apc has not endorsed anybody and in fact as a matter of ethics, no exco member is expected to be on the side of any particular aspirant; they are all expected to. Be treated equally you cannot treat equals unequally or unequals equally.
“Tinubu is free to support anyone but that is different from somebody inviting the apparatus of the party and asking them that this is the candidate of the party, go and work for him and I will fund it.”
