…candidate says no rift with Tinubu
President Muhammadu Buhari has officially endorsed the candidacy of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State.
The president yesterday met with Akeredolu who was led by to the presidential villa, Abuja by the governor of Plateau State and chairman of his campaign organisation, Simon Lalong. Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, the Plateau State governor said: "Mr. President is a loyal party man, so he is answerable to the party although the president of Nigeria.
He has also confirmed that he has seen the candidate and is also praying for a successful election in Ondo State."
Explaining why he led Akeredolu to the State House, Lalong said: "A few weeks ago, I was given the responsibility of leading the campaign on behalf of the party's national executive for the Ondo election. And the candidate since his election at the primaries, have not come to be presented to the leader of our party, that is Mr. President. "So, today we came in with the candidate and to confirm to the president that APC has only one candidate unlike other parties that are fighting about who is their candidate.
We have only one candidate and that candidate is Mr. Oluwaritimi Akeredolu Rotimi (SAN)." On APC's chances of winning the election, Lalong said: "That is not a problem to APC. Since inception, you knew what happened in Kogi; you knew what happened in Edo, we won the elections. It was as if it was going to be very difficult for us but we won.
"Today again we are going into Ondo. All the mistakes we made in other states, we have corrected them; we are seeing a very smooth election; not only a smooth election but the credibility of the candidate itself is something worth selling." Commenting on Governor Olusegun Mimiko's recent visit to Buhari, Lalong said: "Let me say it was even wrong for them to start running to Mr. President to help them solve the problem in their party. Mr. President is the president of Nigeria and he is not a member of PDP. Even when we have problems in APC, we don't run to Mr. President.
If he has a problem in his state, he is the governor; let him stay there and resolve the matter. "It is a matter between PDP and PDP and the matter is in court. So, why should you run to the president? Is the president the Chief Judge of Nigeria? He is not the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission either."
Akeredolu in an interview with reporters boasted that he would defeat both Eyitayo Jegede and Jimoh Ibrahim if they both combine to face him in the election. He also said that he had no rift with the National Leader of the party and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.He said: "I can assure you I would have been happier facing both of them together. If Eyitayo Jegede was chosen as candidate and Ibrahim as his deputy, I will still win. In fact, Jegede happens to be a friend, Ibrahim too.
Ibrahim went to Ife. So, we have known ourselves for long. I have no fear about both of them. We know that we are going to win this election and I have no doubt." On Tinubu, he said: "I don't have any rift with him. Since the primaries, you would see that as leader of the party, he has not said anything about it.
He has accepted the primaries and we are moving on. So, I don't have any rift with him at all and we are moving on." He cautioned Governor Mimiko to ensure security and peaceful coexistence in the state alleging that those demonstrating on the streets of the state capital were paid miscreants by the government. According to him, local issues in the PDP should not be externalized, while calling on security agencies to be up and doing so as to restore normalcy to the state.
