By Seyifunmi Odunuga
Frontline gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, has expressed misgivings on the party primaries held by the APC in the state.
Alao in a statement issued in Ibadan, while stating that under hand dealings were employed by those he described as hell bent on having their way especially during the gubernatorial primary with most of the genuine delegates disenfranchised, said allowing level playing field led to the victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the just concluded APC presidential primary.
He said the APC presidential primary was democracy at its best as the leadership of the party ensured free and fair contest, noting that the losers accepted the result knowing fully well it was the delegates that spoke with their vote.
He lamented that the injustices recorded in the primaries in the state have led to the mass exodus been recorded by the party, stating that they were characterized by manipulation to the bewilderment of most aspirants, delegates and teeming members of the party.
He alleged that during the gubernatorial primary more than 400 delegates were disenfranchised with fake delegates accredited and allowed to vote, disclosing that delegates loyal to him from Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and Oke Ogun areas of the state were mostly affected.
The Oman-based Project and Contract Management Specialist, maintained that the same situation applied during the Senatorial and House of Representatives primaries leading to the present rancour in the party, stating that the delegates’ list sent from the national secretariat of the party was not the authentic one generated from the Congress earlier held by the party.
He insisted that the party is capable of conducting a free, fair and acceptable primary with what happened at the Eagle Square in Abuja, lamenting that the manipulation which was the order of the day during the primaries in state resulting in members leaving in droves should be of concern to genuine members of the party.
According to him, “The just concluded presidential primary of our great party, APC showed that we can get it right as it was indeed democracy at its best with all the aspirants accepting the result as the wish 9f the delegates.
“This was however not the situation in Oyo State with the primaries, House of Representatives, Senatorial and gubernatorial characterized by manipulation and under hand dealings with genuine delegates disenfranchised. Unfortunately, fallout out of the shenanigans is what the party is witnessing today with members defecting to other parties. It is a sad development for our party in Oyo State.”
