The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reaffirmed the candidacy of Governor Lucky Ayiedatiwa as the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming November 16 Ondo State Governorship election.
The tuling party, however, faulted reports in some quarters claiming that that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials that monitored the party’s April 20 shadow election reported that “the exercise never held in the state.”
Reacting to the development in an interview Monday in Abuja, APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru dismissed the report, insisting that the party conducted a free, fair and transparent election that produced a candidate.
According to Duru, “We conducted a free and fair election in Ondo state and a candidate emerged from the election. We (APC) have an eligible candidate for the November election in Ondo state.
“The party followed the process. The primary election committee conducted the election and presented their report to the National Working Committee (NWC).
“We (NWC) also received report from the Election Appeal Committee. This committee received some petitions, considered them and ruled that the election was conducted in line with the guidelines for the election and that it was free and fair exercise .
“The NWC then deliberated on the reports of the two committees and adopted them.”
When told that INEC alleged that there was no election in Ondo, the Deputy National Organising Secretary replied, “the committee that conducted the election in their report said that it was a free and fair exercise. This was expresslly indicated in their report
“We don’t act on social media report. We have not recieve any report from INEC. The electoral body should have raised a query on the election to the committee and also to the appeal committee. We have no such report from INEC.
“It was on the strength of the reports of the two committees that NWC adopted the outcome of the election and issued a Certificate of Return to our candidate, who is Governor Lucky Ayiedatiwa.
“We have a candidate that will fly the party’s flag in the November 16 Ondo State Governorship Election,” Duru insisted.
