A major group within the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State, the Sunshine Liberation Front (SLF), has rejected the choice of Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the governorship candidate.
The group also condemned the process leading to the emergence of Akeredolu, saying it amounted to an imposition from Lagos State.
According to Director of Media and Publicity of SLF, Segun Odidi, the choice of Akeredolu came as a shocker to the members of the party, but the group would not be party to the arrangement as it was poised to see the party win the election.
He said it was amusing that the leadership of the party could ignore aspirants like Dr Olu Agunloye, Professor Ajayi Boroffice and Saka Lawal, and pick Akeredolu who, he said, was alien to the politics of the state.
Odidi said: “The choice of Akeredolu from Lagos amounts to imposition of candidate and the SLF is not going to be part of that arrangement. We reject totally, the choice of Akeredolu as this cannot lead the party anywhere.
“For obvious reasons, the SLF has in the last one year been putting machinery in motion and we have been working tirelessly to ensure that the ACN wins the coming governorship election in the state, but our morale was dampened with this kind of choice.
“It is a fact that Akeredolu is alien to the politics of Ondo State. The people of the state do not know him. He himself does not know the people needed to win election in the state. Akeredolu is a political neophyte. The leadership of the party has jettisoned those who worked to build the party and opted for somebody that cannot win in his ward.