The 16 governorship aspirants jostling for the All Progressives Congress ticket in Ondo State will on Monday file out at the party national secretariat in Abuja to collect their certificates of clearance.
This was confirmed by the Deputy Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, in an exclusive phone chat on Sunday evening.
“Yes, all the aspirants (Ondo) will be coming to the party secretariat tomorrow for their certificate of clearance. They are expected to be here by 4.00 pm and I am aware they have all been informed,” he said.
The According also gathered that the state chapter of the party will on Monday hold a delegate congress in its 18 local government areas ahead of Saturday’s governorship shadow poll on the same day.
This is in line with the amended schedule of activities and timetable for the 2024 governorship poll in Ondo.
The development comes three days after all the 16 political juggernauts were cleared to contest at the April 20 primary election in Ondo State.
The successful aspirants include the incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, business mogul and senator representing Ondo South district, Jimoh Ibrahim; Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olusola Oke; former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Francis Faduyile; mechanical engineer, Dr Funmi Waheed-Adekojo and APC National Vice Chairman (South West), Isaac Kekemeke.
Others are Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Adewale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema and Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide, Morayo Lebi, Garvey Oladiran Iyanjan and Ifeoluwa Oyedele.
Aiyedatiwa heaved a sigh of relief on Friday when he became the first aspirant to be cleared by the APC screening committee.
The embattled governor had been embroiled in an alleged academic certificate forgery that has threatened his chances of clinching the party ticket in the past few weeks.
A legal practitioner, Oladotun Hassan, had petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Police Service Commission over an alleged move by a top-ranking officer to tamper with the report of an ongoing probe into the academic credential of the governor; an allegation that the legal firm of Aiyedatiwa has since refuted.
Similarly, another Ondo governorship aspirant, Gbenga Edema, had pleaded with the National Chairman of the party, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and the National Working Committee to probe the controversy surrounding the authenticity of the governor’s certificate.
Edema, who claimed he didn’t write the APC out of envy, warned that if the party fails to duly vet the credentials before clearing the governor, they may likely witness a repeat of the drama that led to the disqualification of Bayelsa APC Governorship Candidate, David Lyon, who was sent packing by the Supreme Court for a similar offence after winning the poll.
But an excited Aiyedatiwa told journalists at the national secretariat of the APC after that he was happy the matter had been laid to rest following his clearance by the screening committee on Friday.
