Four governorship aspirants under the platform of the All Progressive Congress, in Ondo state, disagreed with the election committee headed by the Kogi state governor Ahmed Ododo, over the distribution of the electoral materials.
They include Hon Olugbenga Edema, Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa and Prof Dayo Faduyile
Secretary of the seven-member Committee, Ovie OmoAgege, had at the stakeholders meeting Friday night, said that voting materials will be distributed at BON Hotel Ijapo Estate Akure, by 7 am Saturday
Speaking with newsmen at the venue where the committee promised to distribute the materials, the four aspirants, said that the materials were not distributed by 10am as scheduled.
Edema and the spokespersons of Oke, Faduyile and Akinterinwa, lamented that the election were not held in many of the wards across the state.
Rotimi Ogunleye, Sola Ajisafe and Paul Oniyemofe, spoke for Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa and Dayo Faduyile respectively.
They said that " Yesterday, at the stakeholders meeting held at St Thomas event centre, the secretary of that committee, Senator Ovie Omo-agege collection of voting materials which include the membership register, and others will be distributed to the electoral officers who's name he announced to us in each of the 203 wards of Ondo State.
"That they should come to BON Hotel to collect the materials and that accreditation will start by 10am, to be completed by 1PM while voting proper will start by 1PM and end by 2PM, then announcement of result.
"As I am talking to you now, this is 10:40am. We've been here since 6am, believing that our people will collect the materials but unfortunately, at about 9:30am, His Excellency, Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo came out to tell us that materials have been distributed. At what time? In what places? We don't know!
"Unfortunately, for him, the returning officers and electoral officer of my ward, Mahin ward II in Ilaje local government are here and unable to collect any materials.
"What we are asking for is a credible election. So, we are asking the leadership of the party to look into this. If they're not ready for this election, they should postpone it and the right thing should be done",
According to them the materials were yet to get to the voting points across the state as agreed upon at the stakeholders meeting on Friday.
However Governor Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State, acknowledged the delay in the distribution but said he was briefed that materials for Ondo North and South senatorial district had earlier been distributed by the committee.
Ododo assured that the committee will conduct a free, fair and transparent election.
The 16 APC aspirants are contesting the governorship election through a direct primary election.
They include the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; former Commissioner for Finance, Wale Akinterinwa; Olusola Oke (SAN); former member of the House of Representatives, Mayowa Akinfolarin; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim; former National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Isaacs Kekemeke and former Commissioner who represented the State on the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Gbenga Edema.
Others are Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide Felix, a current member of the House of Representatives, Jimi Odimayo, Olusoji Adewale Ehinlanwo, Morayo Lebi, Diran Iyantan, Prof. Francis Faduyile and Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele while the two female aspirants among them are Funmilayo Adekojo, and Mrs. Funke Omogoroye Judith.
No fewer than 171, 922 delegates, who are all card-carrying members of the APC are expected to take part in the direct primary election.
The delegates are members of the APC drawn from the 203 wards in the 18 local government of the state.
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