Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
An All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for governor the Ondo State governorship election, Olayinde Owolabi Adelami, has warned that only a direct primary can guarantee the integrity of the party election billed for July 20.
Speaking after submitting his completed Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the party’s secretariat on Wednesday, the candidate said that he had no doubt of scaling through the screening.
‘I am here today to submit my contest form and the process has been smooth, transparent. I went through the form and there is no negative comment. Like I have been saying, my entry into the contest is for real and the mission is defined to come and rescue Ondo State from maladministration. You all know that the party is disenchanted,’ the contender for governor said.
‘There are a lot of aggrieved members of APC, about 80 per cent of them. My mission is to build the party, maintain party cohesion; this is what I know how to do best. I have managed over the years human resources and financial resources and coming to Ondo State is not new. I am coming to do what I know how to do best.’
‘Ondo State is yearning for something new, something novel. If you look at the history of Ondo State, you will find out this is not the first time; remember Baba Ajasin who was a renowned teacher and a technocrat; Baba Adefarati, a renowned teacher and a technocrat, they all performed well. As I said, the first thing is to come to Ondo State to maintain party cohesion.
‘Number two, the numerous disenchanted, hopeless, near hopeless youths roaming the streets. We have so many of them in Ondo State who have been carrying their certificates for the past five, six years looking for a job that is not there. I am coming to Ondo State to engage our teeming youths,’ the candidate said.
‘They must work, they are the asset of Ondo State and I value them so much. They are going to take priority in the projects I am going to execute in Ondo State.’
Asked which mode of primary he prefers, Adelami said: ‘The popular opinion is a direct primary, I normally refer to it as election, nobody will be disenchanted, everybody will be given an opportunity to express themselves.’
On the new national leadership of the party, the governorship aspirant said: ‘They are men of integrity; if you look at the profile of all the new leaders that are there now, they are men of integrity. I have no doubt that they will be transparent, they will not be biased in the execution of their duties so that at the end of the day all members of APC will be happy for it.’