Leaders, delegates and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State are in a dilemma.
When will the primaries to elect the party’s candidate for the November 26 governorship election hold?
August 31 or September 3?
On Friday, the members were divided.
While some insist that the primaries must hold on August 31, others are supporting a shift till September 3.
The exercise was earlier scheduled for August 27 before it was postponed because of the crisis in the party over the plan by some leaders to impose a particular aspirant over others.
Twenty four aspirants are vying to get the ticket at the primaries.
Some party leaders said the exercise was postponed till September 3 to calm frayed nerves but a faction, led by the state Deputy Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, said the exercise must hold on August 31.
The Publicity Secretary, Omooba Abayomi Adesanya, had issued a statement entitled: “Ondo APC Guber Primary Election Postponed” on while the exercise must be shifted.
He stated that “Ondo APC Governorship Primary Election Postponed Till Wednesday, 31st of August, 2016, due to logistics. The decision was communicated to the State chapter at the end of the emergency National Working Committee meeting of the Party today, 24th of August, 2016.”
On Friday, a worker at the party secretariat in Akure, the state capital, revealed that the exercise had been further postponed till September 3 by the National Secretariat.
The Director of Research and Publicity of APC, Mr Steve Otaloro, confirmed the postponement of the primary to September 3.
He said the embattled Chairman, Hon Isaacs Kekemeke, has been briefed about the new date.
But Adesanya insisted the exercise would hold on August 31.
A statement by Adesanya which stated “Ondo 2016: Primary Still Hold On Wednesday -APC” said “Ondo State APC primary election will hold on Wednesday (31st of August) as rescheduled. Please, disregard rumour of another postponement.
However, Otaloro said Adesanya had lost touch with what is going on at the party secretariat “because of their desire to remove the Chairman, Hon Isaacs Kekemeke from office”.
According to him, Adesanya who is the official spokesperson of the party and some other aggrieved members of the State Working Committee (SWC) have purportedly removed the Chairman and have not been relating with him as the Chairman.
He said this could be responsible for the reason the aggrieved members of the State Executive Council were not aware of the new date.
Otaloro added that the National Secretariat, which has the power over primaries, had communicated with Kekemeke who the aggrieved members said claimed had been removed over the new date.
















