Nigeria’s Ambassador to Togo, Olusola Iji, has described the petition to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on alleged illegal registration of new members into the party in Ondo State as a ruse to cover up Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s plans to rig the primaries.
Iji, who is also a governorship aspirant of the party, said Akeredolu planned to unfairly tilt the outcome of the July 20 primaries by generating 130 names from each unit into the official APC register in the state.
In a statement signed by his Director, Media Services, Sola Aregbesola, Ambassador Iji noted that a similar scenario played out in the 2016 APC primary won by Akeredolu.
He said he is convinced that the governor is scheming to replay the joker used in 2016 by inputting the 130 names from each of the 3009 units.
He urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC to stop what he termed ‘planned political heist’ of the governor from becoming a reality.
Iji said his findings show Akeredolu is jittery to face APC members at the primary election because he has disconnected from them.
He said: “We appeal to the APC NWC to refuse to be dissuaded from the popular decision to ensure free, fair and credible conduct of the 2020 primary through direct option. We also appeal to our members to be politically alert to avoid being caught napping by any aspirant’s election rigging antics from wherever scheme.”
Governor Akeredolu, who spoke through Information and Orientation Commissioner Donald Ojogo, said it was a wrongly canvassed and misdirected accusation.
“It’s a genuine fear and apprehension by whoever expresses such. Recall that a formidable campaign of ours, the Ibigiga Ambassadors, raised similar fears.”