Ondo APC: Abraham Denies Joining Alliance With Oke, Boroffice

…Faults Oyegun’s Action To Back Akeredolu

A top governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state, Mr. Segun Abraham, has denied joining an alliance with some aggrieved co-aspirants to leave the party for an alternative ahead of the November 26th governorship election in the state.

Mr. Abraham made the denial in a statement issued by his media assistant, Sayo Aluko, to journalists in Akure on Saturday.

Rather, he said that he would remain in the party to reclaimed his rightful mandate noting that the allegation of planning to dump the opposition party was false and a mere rumor.

“I state categorically, that Olusegun Abraham is not part of any alliance to leave the party, APC, Consider such insinuations and rumours as blatantly false”,

He disassociated himself from a joint statement issued by the duo of Olusola Oke and Ajayi Boroffice that showed dissatisfaction at the action of the party’s National Working Committee.

Oke and Boroffice had jointly addressed journalists on Friday rejecting the final verdict of the NWC which rectified Rotimi Akeredolu as the party’s candidate.

Abraham noted that he was not informed nor consulted before his name was smuggled into the joint statement that was dispatched to reporters in Akure.

“While I appreciate the efforts of my co-aspirants at getting justice, I did not form any accord with any of the aspirants to give a joint statement.

“My consent was not sought before my name was being bandied around any statement, neither was I consulted to vet the said statement before my name was attached to it” the APC guber aspirant said.

He, however, berated the party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, for overruling the decision of the Appeal Committee headed by Mrs Helen Bedenga which called for a rerun of the primary election of the APC.

Mr. Abraham described Mr. Oyegun’s action which favors Rotimi Akeredolu as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state as unjustifiable and unacceptable.

“After painstaking deliberation and consideration of evidence-backed petitions by our party’s Electoral Appeal Committee and the National Working Committee (NWC), it was recommended that the September 3rd Primary election be annulled, and thankfully, this recommendation was ratified and upheld by a majority of our NWC, yesterday (Friday).

“And just like most of you, I was disappointed at the inexplicably unexpected and unjustifiable move by our party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, to have disregarded this informed stance of the NWC that favored annulment of that fraud-ridden primary, moving ahead to submit a name to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“It is a move that is akin to injustice, and we know it won’t stand. I condemn it in strong terms, and I’m sure a lot of us do”.

He claimed that 157 fake delegates were injected into the delegates’ list in 12 out of the 18 local governments areas (LGAs).

“This includes 54 delegates loyal to our mandate in at least three LGAs of Akoko North West (13), Akoko North East (26) and Idanre (15), who were disenfranchised and substituted with fake delegates.

“We have sought that these disenfranchised votes should be added to my poll (635), after the fake and substituted ones have been removed from votes polled by the acclaimed beneficiary”.

The APC governorship aspirant further disagreed with the national leaders noting that the party cannot win an election by subverting the truth mostly among the people of Ondo State who relentlessly dislike injustice.

“This is why this latest inexplicable unilateral move by Chief Oyegun against the wish of the people, the eligible delegates and the leaders of the party in the vested powers of the NWC, cannot stand.

He, however, told his supporters that he would employ carefully weighed constitutional means to seek redress stressing that his mandate and that of the people in the state would be reclaimed.

“I am very happy to assure you that by carefully weighed constitutional means, this my mandate of practical governance and #Blessings for the great people of Ondo state will be reclaimed” .