• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Ondo 2020: PDP members condemn SWC’s alleged plans to doctor delegates’ list in favour of Ajayi

Agboola Ajayi

Ahead of the October 10 governorship election in Ondo state, some aggrieved members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have condemned the State Working Committee of the party for allegedly planning to doctor the delegates’ list for the forthcoming primary election in order to favour the newly defected Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi over other party aspirants.

Aggrieved PDP members that protested against the alleged manipulation of delegates’ list for the party’s primaries, on Monday, called on the national leadership of the party to reverse the purported insertion of names into the delegates’ list, saying the alleged plan to favour a particular aspirant will be resisted.

The protesters were armed with placards at the gate of the Secretariat bearing various inscriptions such as, “Secondus, let the will of the masses prevail”, “Chinda’s doctored delegates list will not stand”, “Don’t set Ondo ablaze, respect masses opinion,” “Don’t cause trouble in Ondo State”, “Don’t sell our rights”, among others.

Reacting to the allegation, the Caretaker Chairman of the party, Clement Faboyede,  insisted that he knew nothing about the allegation as he called on the protesters to put up a written petition which would be forwarded to the national leadership of the party.

While also reacting, the embattled Deputy Governor, Ajayi, dissociated himself from the allegations, saying that the national leadership of the party that sent a committee to see to the conduct of delegates election were the custodians of the list not him.

The Deputy Governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Babatope Okeowo said, “the truth of the matter is that Agboola Ajayi is not a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP and could not have influenced the ‘doctored’ list if it exists at all.

“It must be noted that it is the National leadership of PDP that sent a committee to see to the conduct of delegate election and they are the custodian of the list and not the Deputy Governor.

“Any complaint about the list of delegates should be channeled to the appropriate quarter instead of blaming the Deputy Governor.

“It must be mentioned that Agboola Ajayi has no quarrel with any of the PDP aspirants as it is left for the delegates to chose among the qualified aspirants of the party to fly the flag of the party in October 10, 2020 election.

“Agboola Ajayi has said it repeatedly that he is not desperate for the ticket of the party. Anything to the contrary is mischief and attempt to playing to hands of the opposition ahead of the election.”