Ahead of the local government election in Ondo state, youths of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ajue, Odigbo local government area of the state, protested over the alleged imposition of a councillorship candidate in the council.
This is just as leaders of the party from the area also dissociated themselves from the list submitted to the State Secretariat of the party, saying the list was manipulated by officials of the party.
The aggrieved leaders of the party questioned the motive behind the alleged swapping of the preferred candidate that emerged during the primary election of the party.
In a petition addressed to the state governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the petitioners disclosed that 16 leaders of the party, from each of the four zones in Ajue zone, had chosen one of the aspirants, Ayodeji Emmanuel Adesuyan as the candidate of the party for the January 18, 2025 local council election.
According to them, Adesuyan polled 14 votes, and the second aspirant, Mr. Folasele Siji polled one vote, but expressed dismay over the choice of the candidate who lost the shadow election to Adesuyan.
The petition entitled: “Re-Councillorship Candidate: Ajue Ward, Odigbo Local Government,” and signed by 12 leaders, three leaders from each of the four zones, revealed that the leaders of the party had on December 2, 2024 submitted the name of the candidate.
The names and signatures of those who participated in the election was attached with the results of the election to the party’s Local Government chairman in Ore for onward transmission to the state Secretariat in Akure, the state capital.
The leaders said “Despite the outcome of the process which produced Adesuyan as a consensus candidate of the party and the fact that the ticket has been zoned to Oro, the leaders of the party alleged that the nomination form of the party for the councillorship position is in possession of Siji who polled one vote.”
They alleged that the said Siji has been a close ally of Mrs. Margaret Akinsuroju, who she had at different points in time appointed to offices in different capacities.
The APC leaders, however, appealed to Governor Aiyedatiwa to intervene in the matter.
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The petition read, “It is not clearer to us leaders and the entire members of APC in Ajue Ward, someone who got one vote was given the nomination form of the party against the other aspirants who got 14 votes was rejected.
“The leadership and the entire members of our party are hereby appealing to our governor to please direct that the appropriate stakeholder look into our matter and correct the wrong in the interest of justice and equity.”
Meanwhile, the youths during their protest described the imposition of candidate as unacceptable and vowed to resist the imposition, alleging Akinsuroju of collaborating with some officials of the party in the state.
The youth alleged that “APC Youth in Oro, Ajue ward say no to the imposition of unpopular councillorship candidate by Hon Mrs Margaret Akinsuroju.
“How on earth can a candidate Mr. Folasele Siji, who scored only 1 vote, be imposed on Ajue ward against the popular candidate, Hon Adesuyan Ayodeji Emmanuel, who polled 14 votes at the Ward leaders meeting.
“This is grossly unacceptable, considering the fact that this same scenario played out in 2007, (17) years ago when the leadership of Ajue ward PDP gave Oro zone the party ticket for the councillorship position.
“Ajue ward was denied the position by the same factors, as they are currently using their closeness to Engineer Adetimehin to make a mess of a collective mandate given to Hon Ayodeji Adesuyan by the majority of Ajue ward leaders.
“Let it be known that this act of brazen illegality will not stand by God’s grace.”
