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All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State,
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has withdrawn from the primary election scheduled
for Saturday.
Ojudu who addressed a news conference on Thursday described the party’s
primary as “an unfair contest in which the national leadership wanted to
force an unpopular aspirant on the people.”
He accused the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun,
perpetrating injustice in the choice of the flag bearer in Ekiti and
frustrating moves to have a transparent process.
Responding to a question, Ojudu said: “I am not stepping down for anybody,
I am withdrawing. I will leave (my) delegates to their choice.”
According to him, “it is part of the complicity of NWC to allow an
indicted person to contest for the party’s governorship ticket.”
Ojudu claimed that Oyegun “vehemently opposed” an advice offered by the
aspirants for the use of Option A4 to resolve the primary election logjam.
The journalist-turned politician clarified that he was not stepping down
for any aspirant but withdrawing from the race “to safeguard the future of
our children and great grandchildren.”
Ojudu said: “From what has happened since May 5 to date, it does without
saying that this is an unfair contest where the NWC Chairman has clearly
demonstrated that he does not care what happens to our dear party now and
in the nearest future.
“We saw a Chairman who has conspired with one of the aspirants in the race
to unleash mayhem on others, wreak havoc and violence on ordinary citizens
and exposed our state to great embarrassment on national television.
“We saw an aspirant so unpopular to the extent that delegates called him
unprintable names at the voting arena now being imposed on our people, not
minding if this means we lose this state forever.
“We do not believe in engaging in unfair contest and I am not ready to
step on blood to get to power. As I have reiterated at different times in
the course of the campaign, this was never about me.
“It was not about an ambition but a mission to give a new lease of life to
Ekiti State and the people. It was about safeguarding the future of our
children, our grandchildren, great grandchildren and even generations yet
unborn.
“Therefore, thus injustice perpetrated against Ekiti people by NWC
Chairman cannot be allowed to stand. This is why the fight will continue,
not as an aspirant but as a party reformer.”