The Mayowa Akinfolarin Campaign Organisation has denied a news report that Mr Mayowa Akinfolarin dropped out for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the recent primary election of the party.
The election occurred in all 18 local government areas of the state last Saturday.
Governor Aiyedatiwa won, beating 15 other candidates with a total of 48,596 votes.
Akinfolarin, who represented Odigbo/Ile-Oluji Oke Igbo Federal Constituency in the National Assembly from 2015 to 2023, came in second with a total of 15,343 votes.
The campaign organization of Mayowa Akinfolarin, through its spokesperson Oluwagbenga Ajongbolo, released a statement on Wednesday, stating that Akinfolarin never withdrew for any candidate in the primary, calling the report false and embarrassing.
The statement said, '' The Mayowa Akinfolarin Campaign Organisation, once again, denies the incorrect claims that our principal, the Rt. Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin, withdrew for Ondo Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in last Saturday’s APC primary election in Ondo State.
“This is not only embarrassing but unfair, unimaginable, baseless and ungodly to accuse a man who traversed the political landscape of Ondo State and visited all the eighteen local government areas canvassing for votes and sure of victory to now drop his ambition for another aspirant.
“We are concerned that those fabricating and peddling these lies have resolved to dent the image and damage the reputation of an Akinfolarin whose records remain untainted despite spending the last twenty-five years in the political space of Ondo and Nigeria in general. Out of the 16 aspirants who jostled for the APC candidacy, only Akinfolarin, and a few others, reached out to party members in their homes and across the 203 wards of the state, while the others were only on social media.
The organization also refuted the claim that one of the aspirants purchased the nomination forms for its primary, cautioning those behind the rumor to stop such actions, as it is not good for the progress of the ruling party.
“The recent media attacks on the name, character and integrity of Akinfolarin have to end.
“It is unhealthy for the progress of the APC, the party everyone has contributed to build. For Mayowa Akinfolarin, it is time for the distortion of facts to stop. It is time for rumour-mongers to close shop, ” the statement read.
