An aspirant for the Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bamidele Ologun, has disclosed that voting failed to hold in some wards of Akure South during the party's primary election.
Voting Disruptions
Bamidele, who emphasized that voting in his ward proceeded smoothly and without rancour, expressed disappointment over developments in the other local government area that constitutes the federal constituency. He noted that his returning agent informed him that the process in those areas was full of rancour, a situation he described as troubling given that the affected area is the state capital.
Ologun's Claims
Ologun further revealed that out of the 11 wards in Akure South, he was confident of victory in six wards where voting was conducted. He argued that in the absence of a valid election across the entire constituency, there could be no legitimate winner declared. “If there is no election in a place, that means there is no winner, right? And if there is no winner, then what do we do? There is no way you declare a winner in a place where there is no election,” Ologun said.
The aspirant maintained that if the party decided to declare a winner based on the available results, he should be the rightful candidate. He pointed to his performance in the six wards where voting took place as evidence of his popularity and acceptance among party members.
Confidence and Clarifications
Ologun expressed confidence in his prospects, describing himself as the most popular and most wanted candidate for the job. He traced the confusion surrounding the primary to the initial failure of consensus-building arrangements among party leaders within the state and constituency. He further clarified that the directive from the National Chairman of the APC to proceed with direct primaries supersedes any previous decisions or confirmations regarding the mode of election.
Party Supremacy
Ologun, however, stated that he would accept whatever decision the party ultimately reaches, emphasizing that the contest is not a do-or-die affair. He reaffirmed his commitment to serving the people and remaining a loyal party member regardless of the primary’s outcome, adding that the supremacy of the party must be respected.
