Your choice, an undemocratic means of denying other legitimate aspirants, Dayo Faduyile tells APC ‘aborigine.’
– Timilehin Taiwo.
Prof. Dayo Faduyile, OON, a leading aspirant in the forthcoming governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ondo State has reached out to his supporters to ignore any endorsement that is alien to the praxis and established norms of the ruling All Progressives Congress. This reaction is a follow up on the apparent choice of an alleged group of APC in Ondo State purportedly called ‘ Ondo APC aborigines’.
It will be recalled that on Tuesday, the group announced through their Chairman, Chief Sola Iji, former Nigerian Ambassador to Togo, their choice of Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa as their endorsed choice and preferred candidate for the forthcoming APC Primaries in the state.
Prof. Faduyile while reacting to this development in Abuja after he has obtained his Gubernatorial nomination and expression of interest forms from the National Headquarters of the party simply shrugged it off as ‘ the politics of an interest group masquerading as the aborigines’ so to speak. He noted that in Nigeria, the constitution supports anyone to support anyone for any elective office, stressing however that no group should make effort to impose any aspirant over others in a democratic space even as he added that the the group’s endorsement alluded to ‘the voice of Jacob and hand of Esau’ as it is clear that he who holds the trumpet dictates the tune. Wondering what logic informs a group which was hurriedly put together to assume their opinion on ‘ endorsement of an aspirant’ should override the legitimate aspiration of other aspirants within Ondo State APC, the former National President of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA said the group’s choice is an undemocratic choice with the branding as ‘ endorsement ‘ , adding that while the group is at liberty to support their preferred choice, they should not project a group interest as the overwhelming majority support of Ondo State Party stakeholders, noting that others in the race are soldiering on with their legitimate aspiration without bias to the preference of the alleged aborigines.
“The definition of aborigine is totally distorted in their group. Rather they are a group of people who have gone about pushing the name of their pay master as if it is universal and interesting enough, people have seen through their charade as it is obvious they are acting the script of their financier.
“The same people tagging themselves as aborigines have formed different groups and have moved from one group to another doing the bidding of their choice of candidate, whom they want to dress up as the endorsed aspirant. Their script is endorsement as a farce and what is more? The group which claimed to have considered integrity, competence and all what have you as yardstick ignored records as regards some of us aspirants who are dyed in the wool Progressives with antecedent which best describe us as aborigines in the party.
” Our campaign team ,PDF is not bothered about the group’s cherry picking approach ; just that they stood on its head the concept of Ondo State APC aborigine,” Faduyile observed.
In a chat with a group of select journalists, Prof. Faduyile said the group had first and foremost indicated support and loyalty to the incumbent Governor, an indication of established prejudice ahead of their endorsement, adding that they should raise up their hands in support of their aspirant without heating up the polity with ‘the politics of endorsement. ‘ He maintained that their so called endorsement is a ploy to hoodwink members of the party ahead of the primary but such plot fell flat on its face as the general public is aware of the pedestrian scheming of the group and their longing for misplaced relevance.
Prof. Faduyile, while expressing his confidence at clinching the APC Governorship ticket come April 20th, called on his supporters across Ondo State to be steadfast, advising them to ignore those who are fixated on playing the endorsement card.
