Mrs Betty Akeredolu, wife of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, has faulted the alleged move by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State to adopt a consensus candidate for the Imo East Senatorial District seat.
Speaking at the party secretariat in Owerri on Saturday, where delegates had converged for the primary, Akeredolu said she would not support the adoption of a consensus candidate.
Akeredolu, who described the imposition of candidates as “kangaroo election”, wondered why Governor Hope Uzodimma, who had promised a level playing ground, would not allow delegates to vote.
“Today is supposed to be the Election Day and I have been here patiently with my delegates who arrived as early as 8a.m. This is almost 3p.m.
“As a forefront aspirant, who is in the race to win, I have asked the party chairman to show me the delegates list, but up till now, I have not seen the list,” she said.
According to her, Uzodimma can do anything with state assembly seats but not National Assembly seats, saying “this is a very important legislative house you don’t joke with.”
She said most candidates of the party in the state after spending so much on campaigns, angrily stepped down on orders of the governor.
“We are all responsible Nigerians, upscale Nigerians. You can’t do that to me because I am an advocate.
“We must vote; If I lose, I lose gallantly. I will support my brother that wins, but as it stands now, I am not in support of consensus.
“It is not in my diary. Let us vote. This is shameful. How can we change the system if there’s no transparency?”
But in a swift reaction, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Cajetan Duke, urged the people and party faithful to disregard the allegations by Mrs Akeredolu.
Duke described the ongoing process for the election of the three senatorial candidates in the state as “free and fair”.
“Nobody has forced or coerced any aspirant to step down for another. The contest is free.
“All the party said to aspirants was that those who stand no chance of winning the election should step down.
“But if they think they have traversed the state campaigning and engaged the delegates in preparation for election victory, nobody will stop them to proceed. Not even the national or state chairman or the governor can stop them.
“When people begin to lose election, they begin to find one reason or the other to discredit the process. It is unfortunate that such allegations are coming from her Excellency,” Duke said.
