APC May Lose Ondo Election Over Internal Crisis, Warns Sen. Tayo Alasoadura

• Fetish objects placed at party’s secretariat
• Buhari has no preferred candidate in primaries, says presidency

An aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, has warned that the party could lose the forthcoming governorship election if its leaders did not resolve the crisis in the state chapter.

Meanwhile, ahead of Saturday’s governorship primary election in the state, President Muhammadu Buhari has exonerated himself from the crisis of confidence rocking the state chapter of the party.Briefing journalists,

Sen. Tayo Alasoadura

yesterday, in Abuja when he met with the 24 aspirants of the party, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the discussions were peacefl and fruitful.

He said: “The government of President Buhari wishes to reiterate that it has no preferred candidate among the 24 aspirants and that government would do all in its power to provide a level-playing field for all the aspirants.”

Alasoadura, representing Ondo Central in the Senate, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure yesterday, appealed to Buhari and the APC leadership to urgently resolve disaffection among party members over allegation of imposition of one of the aspirants as the party’s candidate.

In another development, the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, condemned the placing of fetish objects at the secretariat of the party in Akure.A statement issued yesterday by the monarch’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Michael Adeyeye, condemned those who sealed the entrance to the secretariat with palm fronds, the traditional means of sealing premises in Akureland.

“The sacrilegious act carried out at the Ondo State secretariat of the APC early this morning is condemnable in its totality. We want to state that carrying out traditional sealing off of premises remains the prerogative of the palace. The Deji of Akure remains non-partisan and a father to all political aspirants and never authorised such. The palace is apolitical and therefore should not be dragged into the internal wrangling of any party,” Adeyeye said.

Alasoadura said: “With the level of discord in the party today, it will be very difficult for our party to win the governorship election. The discord is so deep-rooted, and unless we are careful, it will affect the party’s chances.”

“I am appealing to President Buhari, who is the leader of the APC, and the party’s leadership to urgently resolve the crisis over alleged imposition. Ondo State is too strategic in the South West to be lost by the APC.”