A pressure group under the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, the Sunshine Liberation Movement, has urged the leadership of the party to zone its governorship ticket
to the South Senatorial district, averring that the incumbent, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who is from the North senatorial district, has failed the party.
In a statement on Thursday by its coordinator, Prince Dipo Ajidahun, the group claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari lost the last presidential election in Ondo State owing to the anti-party conducts of the governor, and that the party does not deserve to release a second term ticket to him.
“We are all living witnesses to how the governor ditched the APC during the last presidential and National Assembly elections simply because his candidates could not win in the party’s primary elections.
“He ditched our party and dusted up Action Alliance (AA), a mushroom party, which cost us victories in the central and south senatorial districts where the bulk of the Ondo State votes come from.
“During that testy period, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party quickly capitalised on the disharmony in the party and won the presidential and national assembly elections with landslide victory.
“Indeed, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who was PDP’s presidential candidate, also defeated President Buhari in those areas.
“Now, it will only be foolhardy on the part of the APC in Ondo State to leave the South Senatorial district where the PDP holds sway and which has large votes, and release its ticket to Akeredolu from the north district with minimal votes
“And since the central district produced a governor for eight years in the person of Dr. Rahman Mimiko, it is only wise to pick our next governor from the south district and pick his running mate from the central district,” the group requested.
It also appealed to President Buhari to let there be more federal presence in Ondo State, claiming that the state is still to benefit enough from federal projects, with particular reference to road constructions.
“Besides, we plead with the President to consider Ondo indigenes into viable boards and parastatals when next they are to be re-constituted, as our people have been relegated to the background in the scheme of things in the country,” the group further appealed.