The Ondo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party says indication have emerged that the ruling All Progressives Congress would lose the general elections in the state, given how rancorous the APC primaries in the state were.
The opposition party said the primaries so far conducted by the ruling party had shown that the APC would have a tragic outing in the 2023 general elections.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kennedy Peretei, on Friday, in Akure, the state capital.
According to Ondo PDP, APC primaries have been marred by irregularities.
The opposition party said, “The next couple of days will be very interesting. The APC would have finally extinguished itself. In Ondo State, for example, one does not need the prophetic exactitude of a Jewish prophet to know that the Rotimi Akeredolu-led APC will have a tragic outing in the 2023 general elections.
“Whereas, the PDP held credible, transparent and peaceful party primaries across Nigeria, for state Houses of Assembly and National Assembly, the APC keeps adjusting and readjusting the timetable for screening presidential aspirants and party primaries, all with the intention to foist an anointed presidential candidate through an arm-twisting process called consensus.
“If General Muhammadu Buhari(retd.) was able to put up with this kind of anomaly during the heavily compromised APC national convention in ‘selecting’ national officers for the party, it may not be a tea party for choosing who becomes the standard bearer for the 2023 elections.
“Not many supporters and faithful of the APC in Ondo State could come to terms with the audacity and high-handedness with which the state leaders of the party distributed party tickets to individuals that they consider as loyal party members. All the 26 House of Assembly candidates were handpicked. Those who insisted on party primaries were blackmailed and intimidated to withdraw.
When members of his party complained, an official statement was issued by his media handlers to muscle up dissenting voices, dismissing them as not appreciating the trouble Akeredolu takes in holding the party together.
“On the appointed date for the primaries, delegates were shocked as designated venues were desolate. Needless to say that all aggrieved persons are waiting to participate in the final burial rites of the APC.”
The PDP urged Governor Rotimi Akededolu and other APC to shun actions that could consign internal democracy to the dustbin, saying “It is ‘unlawyerly’ and primitive to think people can be taken for a ride in this crude manner.”
