Uzodimma hijacked senatorial primary, says Akeredolu’s wife

Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, has accused the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, of hijacking the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Imo East.

The first lady, who is also an aspirant, stormed the secretariat with her security aides and supporters, and came out to address journalists, saying she will resist all attempts by the state governor to announce one of the aspirants winner without any election taking place anywhere.

She said the governor was imposing somebody on other candidates on the pretence of a consensus candidate, which she rejected.

Akeredolu said the delegates’ lists which were supposed to be used for the election were hidden from her and the other aspirants.

She said, “This is almost 3pm and the elections have not started. Every attempt by governor Hope Uzodimma to impose a person on us as a consensus candidate must be rejected. The primary election must hold so that if I lose, I will congratulate the winner.

“They called us and asked us to step down for one unpopular aspirant and I said ‘no’, that the process must go on. That there must be an election. You can’t do that to people like us in the 21st century. I have gone round the nine Local Government Areas in the district. The people are ready to vote for me.”

“You can’t write figures, declare somebody winner when there was no election. I, therefore, call on the national chairman of the APC not to accept any name from Imo East as the senatorial candidate. The primary has not been held. You can see that the delegates are still waiting while they have smuggled in a name as the winner of an imaginary primary election.”