Olusola’s adoption can’t threaten APC, says Awe

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said that the adoption of Deputy Governor Kolapo Olusola as governorship candidate by Governor Fayose will not threaten the opposition party at the poll.

The APC chairman, Chief Jide Awe, also described the screening of the local government chairmanship aspirants through Option A 4 as a manipulation designed to facilitate Olusola’s emergence as a flag bearer.

Noting  that the governor has manipulated the system to favour his  anointed, Awe who spoke through his Vice-Chairman, Mrs. Kemi Olayele, said: “The list of our aspirants in APC is far better than the best Fayose can offer. The smallest aspirant among ours can beat Olusola, who Fayose is forcing down on his party’s throat and that is why we will send him parking in 2018. InAPC, we don’t deceive the people by adopting a system that ensures that it is only our choice that emerges. We assure all our candidates of free, fair and transparent primaries. We don’t allow a system where it is only the people that we have ordered to queue behind our candidates that eventually emerge. Ours is a transparent system.”

The party chairman made the remarks while receiving an aspirant for the 2018 race, Mr. Ajayi Olatunji Olowo who declared his intention at the party secretariat.

Olaleye told Olowo: “Meet with the grassroots. We have given you that ticket to campaign for votes from the masses. Your ability to speak our native talent is an advantage for you. It is what some people now in government have been using to cajole our people.

“No one on the platform of APC will lose out in this race. I am assuring you that a free and fair primaries would determine who gets the ticket.”

Olowo, a legal practitioner, said the adoption of the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Prof.  Kolapo Olusola as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has automatically put the APC on the spot on the need to uphold zoning in the coming election.

Olowo said the APC – led government under former Governor Kayode Fayemi did excellently well in terms of infrastructural provision in the state, pointing out that the only snag  had been that the government didn’t fraternize well enough with the downtrodden masses.

People from the South Senatorial district have been advocating for zoning of the governorship ticket to the zone in 2018 on the basis of equity, justice and fairplay.

On the large number of aspirants  for the governorship election in APC, Olowo said: “Most  of them are pretenders who will not even pass the screening of the party for the primary.”