The Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) has been described as a people-oriented party formed to develop the land and focused on uplifting the masses.
Its Chairman, Isaac Kekemeke, said this while receiving over 350 members of “Like Minds” group led by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Ibironke Lawrence, into the party.
Kekemeke said how people would not go hungry and how youths would be gainfully employed and contribute to the country’s growth is paramount in the minds of the APC leadership.
He stressed that the spade of developments could be noticed in other Southwest states like Ogun and Osun states, which are not as rich as Ondo State, but doing well in infrastructural growth and social welfare schemes.
These, according to him, include feeding of school children in APC states.
Ibironke saluted the courage of President Muhammadu Buhari for his fight against corruption.
He said the President’s zero tolerance for corruption is the precursor to restoring the country’s lost glory.
“Part of the reasons we left the PDP was that the PDP is a party that enforces its members to amass wealth without working, enjoys pleasure without conscience and most regrettably, practises politics without principle.
“All these factors had contributed to the precarious situation we find ourselves in the country now.”
He, therefore, called on patriotic Nigerians to support Buhari in his fight against corruption.
After their declaration for the APC, he urged the party to give his members sense of belonging and recognition.
Kekemeke assured the new members of “Like Minds” from Akure South Local Government that they were not late in coming to APC, urging them to put in their best into the party.
He said members would be rewarded according to their deeds and contributions to the party’s growth, “and not how long they have been docile members”.
Disturbed by the wide criticisms over the decision by the Akoko Elders Assembly(AEA) to zone the November 26 governorship slot to Ondo North,I ts Chairman, Chief Felix Ayegbusi, yesterday said the group has not deprived any aspirant from the four local government areas of Akoko Division from contesting the primary.
There had been uproar over the report that the forum at its last week Thursday meeting held in Arigidi-Akoko residence of Ayegbusi purportedly zoned the governorship ticket to Akoko North.
An aspirant and former Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Victor Olabimtan and some members within the AEF, in a separate statement, faulted the elders’ resolution.
They stressed that they were pushing for a sectional candidate.
But Chief Ayegbusi said that the decision of the group was without sentiments.
According to him, the idea to prune down the large number of aspirants started over two years ago.
He noted that some of the aspirants that were against the zoning had earlier came to them to beg for the ticket.
Ayegbusi, who explained that the APC state Executive Committee (SEC), led by Kekemeke, had no hands in their decision, added that it was a local arrangement agreed upon by the cultural, traditional and other stakeholders in Akokoland.