One of the leading aspirants in the All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial primaries last Saturday, Hon Wale Akinterinwa, has warned that the shambolic show of shame in the state will never stand the test of democratic standard anywhere in the world. Not even in Ondo State.
Akinterinwa who has appealed the swirling cacophony supervised by the controversial Kogi State governor, Ododo said the battle has just begun while sending appreciation message to his supporters across the state.
“I sincerely thank my supporters for believing in me and my commitment to building a united and prosperous Ondo state,” Akinterinwa said on Tuesday. “To our support group, the WA Campaign Organisation, and other groups too numerous to mention, I say thank you for joining me in the journey to redeem our dear state and for everything you did to help our campaign.
“Together we birthed and nurtured the WA movement. With your voice, you have spoken very loud and the people have heard you. We went around the 18 local government areas to campaign. We were well received and never before have we witnessed the kind of crowd in all our outings. This alone is a display of your pure love for me and your understanding of my dreams for the state and our people. I do not take this for granted.
“For your undying love, commitment and loyalty; for the pains and unwarranted attacks you suffer, I assure you all that all these are not in vain. However, I appeal once more that we should be calm and tolerant as we continue with the process. While the frustration and anger that greeted the primary election are understandable, we must strive to continue to channel our energy positively in ways that will increase the respect and love that the people of Ondo State have for our team. We came with a message of hope and love, we cannot deviate from that route.
“As we prepare for the future, I am proud that the WA message has resonated with the young and old across the state. Now, we must continue to carry our heads high and be very proud of what we have been able to achieve within the short period of our campaign.
“I must not forget to thank our party leaders, especially those who believed in us. They worked hard for us to gain the support that we had at a very difficult time. I say thank you for standing by us.”
Meanwhile, the Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation insists that no election was held in any part of Ondo state Saturday to elect the candidate of the APC. It is on record with incontrovertible evidence that nothing in the semblance of a primary election was held in all the 203 wards in Ondo state. the body said
“Saturday’s sham election will probably go down as one of the most controversial primary elections ever conducted by APC. The supportive and hardworking members of the APC were robbed and made to understand or believe that their votes do not count.
“While we are still trying to process the shameful manipulation and fraud that attended this election, it remains a huge and didfficult task to understand why the electoral committee was in such a hurry to conclude and announce their candidate as the winner.”
