We will defeat Makarfi and Sheriff PDP in Ondo State – APC State Chairman

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By; NASIRU SULEIMAN,  Abuja.
The chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Chief Isaac kekemeke has said that the Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and the Ali Modu Sheriff factions of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state will surely be defeated by his party, the APC in the forth coming governorship election in the state.
Speaking to APC correspondents after a state stakeholders meeting with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) members at the party secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, Chief Kekemeke said, “We shall defeat the Makarfied and Sheriffied factions of PDP in the state, and for the Social Democratic party (SDP), we do not have that party in Ondo state”.
A reconciliatory meeting was held between the APC Ondo governorship aspirants and the Party leadership last Saturday headed by Chief John Odigie Oyegun, Party Chairman.
“I am a man of authority under authority and the National Deputy Chairman North, Lawal Shuibu who was the presiding chairman at the meeting already briefed the press and therefore I couldn’t say much more than he said than to say, there was a family meeting and I think that we all understood ourselves.  We heard ourselves and the result that, the more important thing is the victory of the party in the upcoming governorship election in Ondo State”.
On the allegation that the state chairman and the party Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has a preferred candidate for the state governorship race, he said, “I do not prefer any candidate than the other, I also do not have any power to deny anyone the personal right to prefer any aspirant. What I know is that I do not have a preference, I have a vote, in the interest of perception I did announced in the State Working Committee and the executive committee of the party over two months ago that I was not going to vote.
“I cannot stop anyone from exercising his constitutional and political right to express preference. I am forbidden from doing so, because I am the state chairman of the party and I do so, so as to help the party, unite the party with the perception issue so that after the primaries I would be in the position to talk to all of us so that we can work together.
“Of course I am aware that there are people who perceive that I have preference, that is in the world of imagination and I want to assure such people that I do not have any preferred aspirant. My preferred aspirant is the aspirant that is able to garner the majority of votes, the aspirant who is able to garner the greater endorsement and like I use to say, when endorsement contends with endorsement, mobilization with mobilization, influence with influence, vision with vision, ability with ability, the people would speak. As soon as the almost 3000 delegates speak, that is my preferred aspirant and the candidate of the event”.
Chief Kekemeke said he does not envisage any challenges that may disrupt the Saturday primaries or skeptical of any disruption in the state despite logistics challenges.
“I believe that the National headquarters of the party, which is saddled with the responsibility of organizing election is stable to organize free, fair, transparent primaries and as a Party that is in the opposition in the state, of course, we will have logistic challenges, but we will be able to deal with them and I can assure you that whatever the hitches we have, whatever the hiccups, we will be able to overcome them and deliver a free fair primary election and our delegates are ready.I am sure that they are anxious to do the needful. So I do not envisage any serious challenges that cannot be overcome”.
He assured that other parties in the state, SDP and PDP are no threat for the APC as he does not believe there is any other party in the state than the APC.
“Let me tell you, I have lived in Ondo State since 1992 when I became the minority leader of the old Ondo State House of Assembly. I ever since became the State Attorney-general, Commissioner for Works Land and Housing, I even became Secretary to the State Government and I was the pioneer Secretary of the PDP.
“I am a man of order, under order, our meeting today is a family one, still we disagree to agree. You don’t have things all through your ways, but I think the important thing is that if you are a party man when the highest authority of your party speaks, you listen and you want to comply. I am sure my colleagues, when they leave here, they would ruminate on what has been said, they would meditate, they would cogitate and they would come to find out that is in the best interest of the party that we all need to work together”, he stressed.

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