Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, stated on Thursday that the All Progressives Congress had a smooth governorship primary in the state.
“I went to my ward and I was counted and the election took place in my ward…election actually took place,” Aiyedatiwa told journalists at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja during the opening ceremony of the Economic and Financial Inclusion programme.
He asserted that people claiming that no primaries were held in the state are only spreading rumors and must provide evidence, just as he revealed that he had started to reach out to those who ran against him to ensure a united front for the election.
Aiyedatiwa was announced as the winner, gathering 48,569 votes, while his closest competitors, Mayowa Akinfolarin and Olusola Oke, received 15,343 and 14,865 votes, respectively.
Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, who Chairs the Governorship Primary Election Committee, declared the results. Aiyedatiwa was declared the winner in 16 out of 18 Local Government Areas, except for Ilaje LGA, where he lost to third-placed Oke.
Despite the official results, the primary faced allegations of irregularities and procedural failings ahead of the November governorship elections.
One of the aspirants, Mrs Folakemi Omogoroye, who called for an annulment, disputed the validity of the primaries, citing a lack of election officials and voting materials as grounds for her assertion that no actual election took place.
There were also reports of violence in Ifedore LGA, which led to the cancellation of results there.
Responding to the aftermath, Aiyedatiwa said those alleging irregularities must provide proof.
“So if you’re complaining of other irregularities, I don’t know. Who alleges must prove.
“In a contest like that, some may be having grudges. The complaints we have from some of them are that the election was not free and fair, there were no elections in some places, and all of that.
“You can only be in one place at a time. I cannot speak of other wards. So, those who are complaining, it’s just hearsay. The election actually took place,” he maintained.
He called on all aggrieved aspirants to “work together to ensure we are victorious in the November election.”
In that vein, Aiyedatiwa said he is already talking to the aspirants he called “winners” and “family members.”
He said, “The election has come and gone. We are all winners, all the 16 aspirants; I’ll call them family members because it’s a family affair. We were just looking for a flagbearer among us and a flagbearer emerged. And the aspirants have to work together.
“We’re already talking. The good thing is that I have a relationship with every one of them. It’s not a case of not having a relationship; I can talk at will and when I call them on the phone, they pick one hand.
“So there’s no form of grandstanding; it’s not a politics of calumny. So, we relate very well.”
The governor also emphasized the importance of economic and financial inclusion of rural dwellers. He stated that the federal government must collaborate with state governors and the private sector drivers to use necessary technology to involve rural dwellers in the nation’s financial cycle.
