Ondo election: Ganduje begs aggrieved APC aspirants to support Aiyedatiwa

Ahead of the Ondo State governorship poll, the National chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has called on aggrieved aspirants of the party to bury their hatchet and work in concert with Governor Lucky Aidatiwa towards his victory.

Speaking at the start of the reconciliatory meeting held Thursday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, he said it would be in their best interest for the APC to retain control of Ondo State.

In attendance at the parley later held behind closed doors were Governor Aiyedatiwa, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Olusola Oke; Prof Francis Faduyile; Dr Funmi Waheed-Adekojo, Dr Soji Ehinlanwo, Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Olugbenga Edema, Gen Ohunyeye Olamide, Morayo Lebi, Garvey Iyanjan, Ifeoluwa Oyedele, Judith Omogoroye.

However, two of the aspirants Adewale Akinterinwa and Isaacs Kekemeke were absent.

Ganduje who described all the aspirants as important, tested, and knowledgeable personalities noted that there would be no need to dwell on the issues surrounding the conduct of the governorship primary held last Saturday in Ondo state.

Reminiscing how he eventually became Kano state governor 16 years after an unsuccessful bid for the office, he called on the aspirants to remain hopeful of actualizing their aspiration in the years ahead.

Said he: “Since we are all democrats, we should be used to ups and down of politics. The purpose of this dialogue is to appeal to you. This dialogue is not to dwell on what has happened, or what did not happens, what is correct and what is not correct during the primary,” he said.

“If we dwell on that, it would lead to what we can call too much analysis which will lead to paralysis. Our own is to appeal to you. The party belongs to you and only you. Our prayers is that our party should be the ruling party in Ondo state. It’s already a ruling. Our prayers is for it to continue to be a ruling party in Ondo state.

“We are all practitioners in this game. I recall that I contested for the governorship of my state in 1999 , I lost . I couldn’t become governor until after 16 years after. So, I cannot call you lost aspirants. You are aspirants that would be successful tomorrow.”