Ondo Guber: The people are the loser not me – Aspirant

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By; ODEYEMI SAMUEL, Akure.
“Do not console me, but rather console the people of Ondo State who had missed my services”, those were the words of Chief Jamiu Afolabi Ekungba one of the defeated Governorship aspirants in the last Saturday’s primary election of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State.
Chief Ekungba, a Chartered Accountant and a Banker by profession lost the primary by scoring 44 votes out of 2,774 votes cast by delegates.
As soon as the winner of the contest was announced by the returning officer, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who is also the Governor of Jigawa State, he was one of those that rose up from his seat to embrace him and congratulate Barr Rotimi Akeredolu, who polled 667 votes ahead of others.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with New Nigerian shortly after the election, Chief Ekungba said, he took out of money from his personal pocket to contest the election and did not borrow a naira for the election.
Having told the people of the state about what he intends to do to turn things around for the state, he expressed satisfaction that he has lost nothing but the people of the state who had denied themselves his services.
The election which was judged the best and transparent in the history of the state by all stakeholders was described as a battle of rescuing the state from ”godfathers” who seats in far away Lagos to determine for the people of the state.
It could be recalled that the former Governor of Lagos state, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is known as ”Mr. fix it” in South West was accused of endorsing one of the aspirants, Mr. Olusegun Abraham.
In the year 2012, it was the same Asiwaju that ”imposed” Rotimi Akeredolu on other aspirants as a result of which many of them crossed the carpet to other parties especially the ruling Labour Party.
Akeredolu took the third position then, after Chief Olusola Oke, the PDP candidate who was second while the then incumbent Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko was returned for a second term.
The 2016 primary was therefore seen as a protest vote not against Olusegun Abraham, but against Tinubu the self acclaimed godfather in the South West.
However, just like other aspirants, Chief Afolabi Jamiu Ekungba has promised to work with Barr. Akeredolu to ensure that APC wins the governorship election by November 27, 2016.

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