By Ayodele Oni
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has observed that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State have turned themselves to election umpire by picking candidates for Local Government election due to hold in the State next year.
PDP particularly fingered wife of the governor, Betty, and APC chairman, Ade Adetimehin for being behind hand picking of councilorship and chairmanship candidates for the election.
Spokesman of the PDP in the state, Kennedy Peretei, in a statement on Wednesday said “Lately, State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr Ade Adetimehin has been dancing around town with those he claimed defected from opposition parties to the APC, but it is clear now that, Adetimehin and his co-travellers are comfortably seated on a keg of gun powder.
“A couple of months ago, the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) announced its readiness to conduct Local Government Elections into the eighteen Local Government Areas in December, 2023.
“However, the electoral body rescheduled the polls for February, 2024. While preparations were on top gear, the State Government announced the creation of 33 LCDAs.
“The confusion and protests that greeted the mere political rascality of the Akeredolu administration tagged LCDA creation is yet to settle.
“ODIEC is yet to clear the air on whether or not elections will hold in the newly created LCDAs. Amidst all of these, APC leaders mobilized themselves to ODIEC headquarters in Oba-Ile, Akure to physically destroy the list of “supposed” APC Candidates for the LG elections, claiming that, there was nowhere primary elections were held to nominate candidates.
“Across the State, there are protests of imposition of candidates by wife of the Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu. There are reports that, some of the candidates are not even card carrying members of the APC. Their only qualification is being Betty’s kinsmen.
“The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Ondo State Chapter urges ODIEC to clear the air on whether or not they are sincere about the conduct of the Local Government elections instead of allowing our party candidates to waste their resources on a phantom LG polls.
“Our party also wishes to advise Adetimehin, Betty Akeredolu and APC to allow due process in nominating candidates for the elections instead of courting trouble as that will amount to sitting on a keg of gun powder.”
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