The Ondo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has said it will not participate in the forthcoming local government election scheduled to hold on April 23, 2016 by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission.
The ODIEC Chairman, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, last Friday announced the date for the conduct of the poll and promised that the commission would conduct a free, fair and credible council election.
The state chairman of the APC, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke, who spoke at the Leaders’ Consultative Forum held at Akure City Hall, Akure, the state capital, on Monday, said his party lacked confidence in the ODIEC leadership, which, he alleged, had been comprised by members of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
According to him, the Central Working Committee of the party, the State Executive Committee and the expanded executives met and decided to boycott the election.
Kekemeke added, “The conclusion reached was that the election is a sham meant to trap our party. It is an illegal election about to be conducted when there is a subsisting case on the matter at the Supreme Court.
“Besides, (Governor Olusegun) Mimiko’s ODIEC is composed of Labour Party/PDP membership card-carrying members. Worse still, this LP/PDP government is highly deficient in character and integrity.
“Therefore, to participate is to help massage Mimiko’s ego, support illegality and to allow ourselves to be distracted from our singular mission to wrest power from the PDP in a few months time.”
On the forthcoming primary of the party ahead the governorship poll in the state, the chairman promised that the APC would not impose any candidate on the party.
He assured the APC members that the party would conduct a free and fair primary to choose the candidate for the governorship election.
Kekemeke stated, “The primary of the party for picking the governorship standard bearer will be open, fair, transparent and credible. The guidelines to be issued by the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee will be followed strictly and a level-playing ground provided for all.
“There will be no imposition of candidate; any story that I have a preferred candidate is imaginary and delusionary. I have no capacity to impose a candidate on the party and I sincerely do not think that anyone else has.”
