In a bid to ensure qualitative in-house election, and offer quantum leap ahead, A support group for the re-election of Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Ibi Giga Ambassadors, has called on the 12-member All Progressives Congress Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee- led Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, to guide against use of a doctored membership register for the state July 20 governorship primary.
The APC group, in a Press Statement signed by its Director of Strategy and Research, Mrs Olamide Falana, insisted that the only condition that would be acceptable to the Akeredolu's camp for the use of a direct primaries on July 20 in the state would be the updated party's Register of 2014.
"IBI Giga ambassadors tends towards free and fair direct primary on July 20, we rely on the National Caretaker Committee Leaders to do the needful by ensuring that the Ondo state APC membership register is not doctored should in case they want to adopt direct primary," she opined
According to Falana, all aspirants must be made to write an undertaking to accept the outcome of a free and fair primary.
The Director noted that, "while we will urge the aspirants to avoid an obvious defeat and support Arakunrin Akeredolu's re-election, we assure the people of ondo state that our dear Arakunrin (Akeredolu) will win this primary with over 95%.
"We (Ibi-Giga Ambassadors) have activated all our units canvassers and also connect all the political wards with our Akure situation room..... we are good to go on direct primary or any other form of primary the party deem suitable , Aketi will beat anybody or group of people," Falana said.
Ibi Giga Ambassadors, had also on June 8, this year, raised similar alarm at a press conference in Akure where it said the only condition for direct primaries to be adopted by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is for the updated party's register of 2014 to be used.
The group alleged that two APC governorship aspirants have begun illegal registration of members from Osun and Lagos states and issuance of APC membership cards, because of the expectation that direct primary election would be adopted for the Ondo APC.
The body's Deputy Director-General, Alaba Eniola-Ajipe, who read a letter addressed to the APC National leadership in June, said the 2014 membership register of the Ondo APC remained the authentic register to be used for direct primaries.
Eniola-Ajipe, a lawyer, warned that any illegal injection of names as being done by those he described as desperate elements was inimical to the good image of the APC and capable of creating avoidable and unnecessary crisis.
"We are concerned that this unscrupulous action, if not quickly addressed, portends danger for the fortunes of our great party as we prepare for the primaries next month and the governorship election in October.
"We want to put it on record that the membership registration done in 2014 formed the APC register in Ondo State and it is the only known party membership register in existence in Ondo State," Ibi Giga Ambassadors official said.
The national secretariat is yet to give a directive for the update of membership registration in Ondo State and type of primary election to be used for July 20 APC governorship primary in Ondo state
