A former Ondo State governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olugbenga Edema, who defected to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) on Wednesday, rejected an offer to return to the ruling party.
The politician was among the 15 aspirants who lost the APC governorship ticket to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Online platforms and social media were awash with the news of the former chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission’s defection to the NNPP, ahead of the 16 November governorship election in the state.
Edema emerged as the party’s standard-bearer during the substituted primary election of the party held in Akure on Wednesday, to replace the placeholder, Ayeni Oluwatosin, who willingly withdrew from the race.
In his letter of withdrawal, Ayeni said it was in the interest of the party.
Barely 24 hours after defection, Edema, on his way to Abuja, ran into Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Governor Aiyedatiwa at the airport in Akure, Ondo State capital.
Shettima, who was on a one-day working visit to Ado Ekiti, shook Edema’s hand and appealed to him to consider returning to the APC.
“I want you to come back home and take your rightful place where you belong”, he said swiftly.
The NNPP governorship candidate shook his head and said he would let the people of Ondo State decide his fate.
He said, “It is too late. I will allow the people of Ondo State to determine who will be their next governor. There is no going back to the APC where I know there is no internal democracy”.
Edema and the Ondo business tycoon, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, were among the few aspirants who rejected the result when Aiyedatiwa was declared as the winner, over allegations of irregularities and violence in some polling units
Others were Olusola Oke, Folakemi Omogoroye, Jimi Odimayo, and Wale Akinterinwa.
Following weeks of consultations with the aggrieved aspirants, the ruling party, through its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko and the state APC Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, told journalists on 29 April that the issue had been resolved after the governor agreed to run an inclusive government.
