Seven gubernatorial aspirants who participated in the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election have declared support for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the upcoming November election.
Naija News reports that five out of the 16 aspirants who contested the primary election were dissatisfied with the outcome of the primary and filed petitions with the appeal committee.
One of the aspirants, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, also approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, to challenge the outcome of the primary and pray the court to order a fresh exercise.
However, in a statement on Thursday, seven aspirants acknowledged the supremacy of the party and called for a genuine interest in the progress of the party.
The aspirants are,
Morayo Lebi
Prof Dayo Faduyile
Dr Soji Ehinlanwo
Prince Diran Iyantan
Mayowa Akinfolarin
Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo
Jimi Odimayo
The statement read, “We who were aspirants in the just-concluded governorship primary wish to call all members of our party who have a genuine interest in the success of the party in the forthcoming election in November to embrace peace for a resounding victory in the polls.
“The party position is that His Excellency, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is our gubernatorial candidate. This position should be sacrosanct to us all, even when some of us have expressed some reservations. We acknowledge that perfection is a moving target.
“As party leaders who have contributed significantly to nurturing the party to impressive growth, we cannot allow anything that could lead to the polarisation of our party with the potential consequence of undermining unity within our party.
“We, therefore, call on our supporters and all stakeholders to put aside personal interests and allow the overriding interest of the party to take precedence.”
The APC chieftains noted that the victory of the party in the forthcoming November governorship election was paramount to them, and called on other aspirants to work hard.