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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the recommendations of the Appeals committee on the September 3 Ondo governorship primary.
The committee had recommended a rerun of the exercise but the NWC in its unanimous decision, said the report was shoddy and lacked integrity.
The NWC also faulted the panel’s refusal to invite members of the primary election committee headed by the Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, to give evidence before the Appeal panel.
It was gathered that the NWC prefered a minority report submitted by one committee member.
According to sources, the party is split over the decision as those loyal to a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, supports a rerun, another group, believed to be loyal to the party’s leadership backs the minority report upholding the election.
Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) won the polls to emerge the governorship candidate, but appeals from three of the aspirants, Robert Ajayi Borroffice, Olusegun Abraham and Olusola Oke, challenged the outcome of the election.
About 22 aspirants participated in the primary conducted at the Dome, Akure, the state capital.
The Appeals committee, led by Hellen Bendega, recommended that a rerun be held immediately before the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC).
It held that despite substantial compliance with rules during the primary, there were serious and weighty irregularities that could not be ignored.
The irregularities, according to the panel include the use of a delegates list not approved for the primary and the voting of unofficial delegates at the exercise.
But in the minority report submitted to the party’s highest ruling organ, the appeals committee was said to have refused to invite the NWC which produced the delegates’ list used.