Ondo ACN candidate emerges next week

By kamoru sakiru

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ACN

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship aspirants in Ondo State rose from a meeting with the party’s leadership in Lagos yesterday pledging to work together to ensure victory for whoever emerges the candidate.

Leaders of the party, including the National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former governors Olusegun Osoba and Niyi Adebayo, National Publicity Secretary Mr. Lai Mohammed as well as Mr. Boss Mustapha, a national official from Adamawa State, told the aspirants that a special congress to democratically decide on the candidate would be held in the state next week.

A source at the meeting said “each of the aspirants patriotically said he would work to get the incumbent removed and replaced with the ACN flag bearer.”

Chief Akande, speaking for the leaders, had reportedly said that “the October election is considered crucial because of the resolve of the Yoruba to work together to promote integration and development. Ondo is a critical state for the project and there is need to pool together resources and ideas which can only be so if all the state’s governments share the same vision and philosophy.”

Aspirants at the meeting include Dr. Olu Agunloye, Prof Ajayi Boroffice, Mr. Saka Lawal, Mr. Segun Abraham, Dr Olu Agunloye, Chief Jayeola Ajatta, Chief Jamiu Akungba and Chief Segun Ojo.

Other aspirants who turned up for the meeting include Mrs. Jumoke Anifowose, Mr. Olayato Aribo and Mr. A. Awodeyo Akinsehinwa. Dr. Tunji Abayomi, a prominent lawyer and rights activist, was absent.

There have been speculations that the leaders had decided who would bear the party’s flag in the election. This has been repeatedly denied. The leaders are said to have told the aspirants that the overriding interest of the party is to ensure unity in the ranks “because what should be dominant now is the collective, not narrow, individual interests”.

Chief Akande was reported as saying that the decision would be left to the Ondo State people “and they will do so in the special congress.” He was quoted as saying: “Ours is a democratic party. We do not dictate, we only guide.”