The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has waded into the crisis rocking Ondo State chapter of the party assuring aspirants seeking to contest the Ondo State gubernatorial election of level playing ground.
Odigie-Oyegun, gave this on Saturday in Abuja during a meeting to settle all disputes and allay the fears of the aspirants.
It will be recalled that the gubernatorial aspirants had accused the party chairman in the state, Chief Isaac Kekemeke, of adopting, endorsing an aspirant and tampering with the delegates’ list.
The party members in the state promptly suspended Kekemeke.
Speaking earlier with The Complete News, Dr Tunji Abayomi, one of the frontline aspirant insisted that the party must conduct free and credible primaries devoid of undue interference.
On the outcome of the peace parley Oyegun said” ”We have had extensive, frank discussions and have reached some very basic and fundamental understanding that will guide the process in Ondo primary.
”We have accepted that there is nothing wrong for any member to endorse any of the aspirants.
”We have also accepted unanimously that there will be no attempt to impose any aspirant on any party member or the electorate.
”The party at national level has no preferred aspirant and is not going to endorse any aspirant.
”They are all equally members of the party who have entrusted us with the management of the affairs and with that sacred trust it is our responsibility to be as impartial as is humanly possible.
”By the same token, the state branch of the party must not also be seen to be attempting to impose any aspirant and cannot endorse an aspirant.
”This is because they have the sacred trust to be even handed to all the aspirants because we are blazing a new trail of internal democracy.
”To make it clear, the party has no preferred candidate either at national or at state level.”
Odigie-Oyegun said that the party would make available a ”clean copy of the delegates list” to all aspirants by August 24 and assured that it was in safe custody.
”I am particularly happy with the commitment of all the aspirants that once a free, fair primary can be assured, they will rally round whoever is chosen by the delegates as the candidate of the party,” he said.
Twenty-four aspirants were at the party secretariat for the peace meeting.
